tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69658254153499367372024-03-13T14:07:50.998-07:00The Wisdom of SolomanThe purpose of The Constitution is to limit the power of the federal government, not the American people.Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.comBlogger554125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-61882288098899478672020-09-05T18:55:00.002-07:002020-09-05T18:55:23.035-07:00What Is Gaslighting?<p>The first part of this is copied from a friend’s Facebook
page, with some small edits for ease of reading. I then added my own thoughts
as it relates to It is a little lengthy, but I believe well worth reading.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">"What is Gaslighting?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">The term <a href="https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/gaslighting/what-is-gaslighting?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjqDIqK_T6wIVJQnnCh2M5AwiEAAYAiAAEgJ6xfD_BwE" target="_blank">originates </a>in the systematic psychological
manipulation of a victim by her husband in Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 stage play
Gas Light, and the film adaptations released in 1940 and 1944. In the story,
the husband attempts to convince his wife and others that she is insane by
manipulating small elements of their environment and insisting that she is
mistaken, remembering things incorrectly, or delusional when she points out
these changes. The play's title alludes to how the abusive husband slowly dims
the gas lights in their home, while pretending nothing has changed, in an
effort to make his wife doubt her own perceptions. The wife repeatedly asks her
husband to confirm her perceptions about the dimming lights, but in defiance of
reality, he keeps insisting that the lights are the same and instead it is she
who is going insane.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>We are living in a perpetual state of gaslighting. What
we are being told by the media is reality, is actually at complete odds with
what we are seeing with our own two eyes. And when we question the false
reality that we are being presented, or we claim that what we see is that
actual reality, we are vilified as racist or bigots or just plain crazy.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>You’re not racist. You’re not crazy. You’re being gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+deaths+by+state&oq=covid+deaths+by+state&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l6.6339j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank"><o:p> </o:p>New York State has twice as many deaths from Covid-19
than any other state</a>, and New York has accounted for one fifth of all Covid-19
deaths, but we are told that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/01/politics/andrew-cuomo-coronavirus-poll/index.html" target="_blank">has handled thepandemic better than any other governor</a>. [For the record, Cuomo issued an order
that elderly care facilities and nursing homes must receive COVID-19 patients,
and that order is said to have <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/janice-dean-coronavirus-testifies-nursing-home-deaths" target="_blank">caused around 10,000 deaths that likely wouldn’thave happened otherwise</a>].</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But if we support policies of Governors whose states had
only a fraction of the infections and deaths as New York (like Florida’s Ron
DeSantis and South Dakota’s Kristi Noem), we’re called anti-science and told
that we want people to die.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being
gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>We see mobs of people looting stores, smashing windows,
setting cars on fire and burning down buildings, but we are told that <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-panned-for-on-air-graphic-reading-fiery-but-mostly-peaceful-protest-in-front-of-kenosha-fire" target="_blank">thesedemonstrations are peaceful protests</a>. And when we call this destruction of our
cities, riots, we are called racists.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being
gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>We see the major problem destroying many inner-cities is
crime; murder, gang violence, drug dealing, drive-by shootings, armed robbery.
But we are told that it is not crime, but the police that are the problem in
the inner-cities. <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-defunding-the-police-really-means/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=92c618ad11428905e68f49fd8f97d21b14c8b01f-1599355755-0-AULam00UDYbS58zSVxsT5M1Rq8xNOPfLbMDZOpKTSAT_l8kJ-YrSyphN3VEvZSdHx-HvjyO13F8O2CvclLW8Mt2urkQIcYbzkc66p-E8fwfKOqczMNJQZDkC7hJU9klEzKFkEmrcAE90adsBqllLjLFpX5EYqpMUln7al9YhJharzW2OOQZWfNbq2s7t2AFU9quMKcesNIwy-O0wgxn3MJ8PnjNb2-cDslrZRlqDP_F7JgS7o9j4fB-uaE_fODKe_K4WqYeMI7hk7DzxeUkFbDsTI9bEnyKwz8ypEC3E-Nv8RsYWXr4wn5b3iIO-HclxQgbkgQgLaV94XowJ9GViKBg8pQAXQ0lsjIKj8Z_47qcSKHdC-kIveJV3ERLLQScflQ" target="_blank">We are told we must defund the police and remove lawenforcement from crime-riddled cities to make them safer</a>.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But if we advocate for more policing in cities overrun by
crime, we are accused of being white supremacists and racists.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being
gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The United States of America accepts more immigrants than
any other country in the world. The vast majority of the immigrants are “people
of color”, and these immigrants are enjoying freedom and economic opportunity
<a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIktHs1LDT6wIVBT6tBh3RNAyiEAAYASAAEgJOmvD_BwE" target="_blank">not available to them in their country of origin</a>.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But we are told that the United States is the most racist
and oppressive country on the planet, and if we disagree, we are called racist
and xenophobic.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being
gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Capitalist countries are the most prosperous countries in
the world. The standard of living is the highest in capitalist countries. We
see more poor people move up the economic ladder to the middle and even the
wealthy class through their effort and ability in capitalist countries, than in
any other economic system in the world.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But we are told capitalism is an oppressive system
designed to keep people down.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being
gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Communist countries killed over 100 million people in the
20th century. Communist countries strip their citizens of basic human rights,
dictate every aspect of their lives, treat their citizens like slaves, and
drive their economies into the ground.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But we are told that Communism is the fairest, most
equitable, freest and most prosperous economic system in the world.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being
gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The most egregious example of gaslighting is the concept
of “white fragility”. You spend your life trying to be a good person, trying to
treat people fairly and with respect. You disavow racism and bigotry in all its
forms. You judge people solely on the content of their character and not by the
color of their skin. You don’t discriminate based on race or ethnicity.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But you are told you are a racist, not because of
something you did or said, but solely because of the color of your skin. You
know instinctively that charging someone with racism because of their skin
color is itself racist. You know that you are not racist, so you defend
yourself and your character, but you are told that your defense of yourself is
proof of your racism.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, <a href="https://thelogicalliberal.com/2020/06/13/white-fragility/" target="_blank">you’re beinggaslighted</a>.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Gaslighting has become one of the most pervasive and
destructive tactics in American politics. It is the exact opposite of what our
political system was meant to be. It deals in lies and psychological coercion,
and not the truth and intellectual discourse.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>If you ever ask yourself if you’re crazy, you are not.
Crazy people aren’t sane enough to ask themselves if they’re crazy.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>So trust yourself, believe what’s in your heart. Trust
your eyes over what you are told. Never listen to the people who tell you that
you are crazy, because you are not, you’re being gaslighted.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Sophocles said: "What people believe prevails over
the truth." And that's what the media are trying to exploit.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><o:p>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>It’s also worth noting that George Orwell predicted much
of what we’re seeing today.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>A perfect and incredibly simple example is the recent and
ridiculous flaunting of power by Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi. <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/09/nancy-pelosi-queen-of-hypocrisy.php?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=sw&utm_campaign=sw&fbclid=IwAR3HENYgHYrRaHpAVQ0Zla0a6nuwjWZKaiNND0dCwrk9eA0QOMnL-hgngoo" target="_blank">Her disregard of local mask mandate and disrespect for a local business by blaming them for her behavior</a> is straight out of Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” which gave us
the famous line, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than
others.” Many other Establishment individuals have behaved in kind.. Chicago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjfnPzWtNPrAhVRMH0KHdKfDIgQFjATegQIARAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fchicago.suntimes.com%2Fcity-hall%2F2020%2F4%2F6%2F21211314%2Fgetting-roots-done-not-essential-getting-hair-cut-mayor-lightfoot&usg=AOvVaw1LWRD6AxZ6NijxRJ8gYuEt" target="_blank">got a haircut</a> immediately after shuttering all salons.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-az-gov-ducey-not-wearing-mask-party-no-social-distancing-2020-7" target="_blank">was seen at a large backyard gathering sans mask</a>.
New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio g<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwicw9jmtNPrAhXzITQIHZ87Bc4QtwIwAHoECAYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fnyc-mayor-de-blasio-gives-speech-without-mask-surrounded-people-shortly-after-public-urged-wear-1516764&usg=AOvVaw3xgKHyMZzHWVvQ0-fTQ5VM" target="_blank">ave a speech without a mask on </a>while he was
surrounded by people about an hour after city officials urged the public to don
face masks. The list goes on, and on, and on...</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>In his novel “1984” it was “The Party” that controlled
every aspect of the peoples’ lives in Oceania.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Today we see what is commonly known as “The
Establishment,” which is our entrenched bureaucracy that will fight with every
ounce of its being to maintain their grip on the power structures of the
nation.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Today’s “mainstream” news media is quite similar to
Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth,” in that it works closely with The Establishment
to help them maintain their grip on power. They use gaslighting in their effort
to do this, much like “MiniTrue” used “Newspeak” and its “doublethink” to make
the people of Oceana believe what they knew not to be true.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>This is because as long as The Establishment has power,
so does the “mainstream” news media. Their mutually beneficial relationship is
becoming more and more evident, especially as we come closer to this election.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>In the next two months <a href="https://twitter.com/exjon/status/1301962545666777088" target="_blank">we will be subjected to anoverwhelming number</a> of “Trump scandals” based on unsubstantiated claims made by
anonymous “sources,” run through the news outlets at The New York Times, CNN,
Washington Post, and MSNBC, with the rest of the outlets left obligated to report
the same stories or be deemed un-newsworthy by The Establishment.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>We just saw one of these yesterday, as the
Editor-in-Chief of ‘The Atlantic’ <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwihq4f3tNPrAhWRHzQIHe5jBxcQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fpolitics%2Farchive%2F2020%2F09%2Ftrump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers%2F615997%2F&usg=AOvVaw0XQ7_XTPfBweumu-M1L9Rr" target="_blank">put forward an article</a> based on the
unsubstantiated claims of four unverified sources that in 2018, President Trump
had said some very disrespectful things about the fallen Americans at
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Within hours, a number of people who do not work for CNN and
the other aforementioned major mainstream news media outlets had been able to
contact individuals who’d been with Trump during that trip, including former
National Security Advisor<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj01peNtdPrAhXOo54KHYgvCaoQFjAIegQIBhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F09%2F04%2Ftrump-hater-john-bolton-debunks-anonymous-atlantic-hit-piece-on-trumps-veterans-record%2F&usg=AOvVaw2ORYZjl6gWG_6gCTEh7n86" target="_blank"> John Bolton </a>(no fan of Trump) and <a href="https://t.co/gaLEHNwPfK?amp=1" target="_blank">Secretary of StateMike Pompeo</a>, who at the time was serving as CIA Director and traveled with
POTUS extensively.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Bolton, Pompeo, and the others all denied hearing Trump
say anything of the sort. In fact Bolton chided that had he heard such, he’d
have written an entire chapter in his anti-Trump book that was recently in the
news for being so controversial.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>But the damage was done. Joe Biden held a speaking
engagement in an empty gymnasium yesterday morning and the press took advantage
of the opportunity to extend the narrative. Nearly every question asked of
Biden was related to something that Trump had said, <a href="https://twitter.com/wisdomofsoloman/status/1301939967094960128?s=20" target="_blank">including the very firstquestion </a>in which a writer for Jeffrey Goldberg’s ‘The Atlantic’ asked Biden
about this article, and what those unsubstantiated words from Trump indicated
about the soul of the man charged with leading our nation.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The story dominated the news cycle yesterday and removed
from the headlines Pelosi’s disrespect for the owner of the salon she’d
received service from just a couple of days prior. Biden’s many gaffes an
unintelligible statements were an afterthought, because Orange Man Bad had
“done it again,” even though what they were saying he did was related to an
event that had taken place two years prior.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Beware the gaslighting. Don’t believe the narrative.
Continue to seek the truth in the face of all the lies. Believe in yourself to
know right from wrong in the midst of a storm of disinformation.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p><p class="MsoPlainText">And as an addendum.. <a href="https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1302298455990206464.html" target="_blank">this tweet from Lara Logan</a>, which was in response to a tweet by some "blue-check" Stanford professor called <a href="https://twitter.com/mcfaul" target="_blank">Michael McFaul</a>. McFaul's tweet has since been deleted.</p>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-74648372753882785382020-08-03T15:26:00.000-07:002020-08-03T15:26:14.307-07:00Nightly Reading for August 3, 2020<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Every day while I'm at
work as I listen to the radio or glance at social media during breaks, I
inevitably find a couple or three articles I’m interested in reading. With
some days being busier than others, I find myself on the busier days sending an
email to myself at home in the effort to pick up on the reading later over
dinner. Of course some days are more successful than others… you know that
drill, I’m sure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> But I thought to
myself today, “Self, why don’t you just post those links to your blog? That way
you’ll be inspired to check the blog later, which may lead you to write more.
And even if you don’t write more, you’ll at least be sharing some interesting
reading with others. After all, they may not have otherwise seen the articles
you see, since the interwebs is a rather expansive place."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It's worth noting that
not all the articles I read and will link here are exactly aligned with my
thinking. For example, the NYT piece I'm linking today looks like it is rather
critical of one of my favorite writer/pundit types - Mollie Hemmingway. But I'm
openminded and willing to see what the author has to say in his piece. Maybe
it'll show me a side of her I don't necessarily see, or maybe it'll inspire a
rebuttal (even if it's no more than a thought exercise and nobody ever reads
it).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> So with no further
ado… here are tonight’s nightly reading selections. I honestly haven’t made it
much further than the first paragraph in any of these at the time I’m posting
them here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://newdiscourses.com/2020/08/2-plus-2-never-equals-5/">https://newdiscourses.com/2020/08/2-plus-2-never-equals-5/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/us/politics/the-federalist-trump-liberals.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/us/politics/the-federalist-trump-liberals.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://peckford42.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/24231/">https://peckford42.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/24231/</a></p>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-31626317871813112682020-06-24T20:51:00.000-07:002020-06-24T20:51:41.803-07:00That Shining City on a Hill<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I randomly came upon
a couple of YouTube clips of President Reagan being interviewed by Johnny
Carson in 1975. I’ll post those later, but they are not what led me here this
evening. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those clips led me to find <a href="https://www.reaganfoundation.org/media/128652/farewell.pdf" target="_blank">Reagan’s Presidential farewell address</a>, in which I was somewhat surprised to find that many of the same things
I see in today’s America existed over thirty years ago just the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As he closed his speech, Reagan discussed what he called his
desire for an "informed patriotism." He lamented the fact that
perhaps America was not teaching its children enough of what she represents in
terms of the long history of mankind. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age [<i>in
1989, mind you</i>] grew up in a different America," he said. "We were
taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost
in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you
didn't get these things from your family you got them from the neighborhood,
from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost
someone at <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-anzio" target="_blank">Anzio</a>. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if
all else failed you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture.
The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that
America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-sixties."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I might suggest that while the paradigm was somewhat
shifting during his time at The White House, America... or at least my vision
of her, was largely that same patriotic nation he remembered, throughout the
1980's and into the early 1990's. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"But now, we're about to enter the nineties," he
continued, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an
unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern
children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded
patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't
reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that
America is freedom -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of
enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs production
[protection]."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is what I see today. I believe there is an entire
generation... maybe two generations... that largely don't understand America as
I understand her. Imperfect, but incredible. A beacon of hope for the rest of
the world. That "shining city upon a hill" Reagan spoke of so
eloquently. A place where everyone may not be born into the same circumstances,
but with hard work and some luck, everyone has an opportunity to make of
himself and his life whatever he wants it to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, America is teaching its children that this nation
is evil. Our education system is indoctrinating children with the belief that
America was f<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/20/nikole-hannah-jones-new-york-times-1619-project-le/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ounded for the purpose of chattel slavery</a> of black peoples, and to
kill the indigenous peoples, and to enrich the white man beyond their wildest
imagination. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This simply is not true. America’s Founding Fathers knew the
evils of slavery. They wrote about it extensively. Presidents Washington and
Jefferson both refused to sell their slaves – not because they were fearful of
being without them, but because they knew they as white landowners were in a
position to protect them and maintain their family units, which would be nearly
impossible if any or all of these people had been sold into the trade market. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We hold these truths to be self<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">-</span>evident<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among </span>these<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.</span>” These were not just words on a
piece of paper; this was the ideal from which a great nation was born. An
imperfect nation that had to grow. An imperfect nation, within which hundreds
of thousands of its own citizens would sacrifice themselves for the betterment
of the nation they loved and the freedom of their fellow man, so that it might
grow to become a more perfect union, wherein Liberty and Justice for all might
someday become the only way of life anyone could ever know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in
fashion but what's important -- why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle
was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reagan continued, “You know, 4 years ago on the 40th
anniversary of D - Day, I read a letter from a young woman writing to her late
father, who'd fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she
said, ``We will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy
did.''<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, let's help her keep her word,” he said. “If we forget
what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of the
American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American
spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater
emphasis on civic ritual.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's the idea of civic ritual that’s been lost as much as or
more than anything. Americans aren’t Americans like we used to be. If you had
to hide under your desk for fear of the Russians dropping nukes on your school,
you get a much greater sense of community than if you’re told the lie that your
President is a stooge for the Russians. If you are constantly told that police
are bad and that they’re out to get you, your natural reaction when interacting
with police will be to recoil, and potentially act out in violence for fear of
being harmed or killed by these people you’ve been taught to fear. And if you’re
taught that those who happen to have success or have been born into wealth are selfish,
and oppressing any chance you for success, you’re likely to resent them. And when
you’re indoctrinated with the additional belief that your skin color is the
reason these selfish people are holding you back…well, here we are today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We need to work together to mend what ails us. We need the “news”
media to be fair and honest, not partisan and dishonest. We need to remember
the “golden rule” and treat each other as we would expect to be treated in
kind. We need to not judge people on any more than their actions, and we need
to be worthy of positive judgment for actions of our own.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
America can still be that Shining City on a Hill. It’s up to
you and me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UKVsq2daR8Q" width="459"></iframe></div>
<br />Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-20865966809565837432020-06-22T19:50:00.005-07:002020-06-22T20:16:04.089-07:00The Coming Insurrection <br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
That the statute of Vladimir Lenin <a href="https://www.ibtimes.sg/lenin-statue-seattle-how-did-it-arrive-us-how-come-it-stands-tall-amid-statue-felling-frenzy-47177" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">still stands in Seattle</a> while they’re toppling statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and
Abraham Lincoln tells us all we need to know about these people NPR, CNN, and
MSNBC continue to call “peaceful protesters,” even though the peaceful
protesters have almost all gone home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This isn’t about George Floyd anymore. What started as a
legitimate stand against a terrible injustice has been hijacked by a leftist
mob that’s been indoctrinated by the university and public education system. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
What we are now witnessing is a totalitarian uprising
aimed at the destruction of The United States of America. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
And, the “leadership” of the Democrat party and the
majority of the “mainstream media” is aiding and abetting this hostility,
because they have no more love for our great history than these radicals..
heck, they’re part and parcel of the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I don’t know how we’re going to stop what’s happening. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Tonight I heard a report from someone I trust that the other
night President Trump said it was “great watching this” about the destruction happening to some of the major cities across America. Theoretically, he said
this because from a political perspective a Republican might find it beneficial
to watch Democrat-run cities burned to the ground, knowing it might offer
Republicans a chance to gain support in those previously hostile precincts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
But a President is supposed to be President of ALL
Americans. This situation is not one to take up as a partisan issue. So if
Trump said what was reported it’s a terrible thing, and one I hope he learns
from.. quickly. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is a shell of a man. He can hardly
complete a sentence any longer, and often appears to have no idea where he is
or what he’s doing, let alone know what he believes in. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
But because of this, Joe Biden the perfect Trojan Horse
through which the radicals will try to install their top operative. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
At this moment, given the possible candidates, this means
it’s likely Kamala Harris. She’s a woman, which Biden has promised, and she’s
black (not the African-American type, but more like the Jamaican/Asian type), which fits the need for those who will vote to appease their desire to
“check a box” regardless the danger she poses to the nation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
During the Democrat party primary, Kamala Harris announced
<a href="https://www.independentsentinel.com/kamala-harris-explains-her-plan-for-reparations-without-end/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">her desire for reparations</a>. These are payments to black people for something
they never suffered at the hands of any fellow American, but it makes an
excellent talking point when pandering to people whose vote you need.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
If we cannot stop this insurrection, there will be a
second American Civil War. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
It won’t be a war between black people and white people, or
necessarily Democrats versus Republicans, at least at the “average American”
level.. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Instead, it will be between those who understand that
America has been and continues to be the most fundamentally fair and decent
nation on earth for all of its citizens, and those who wish to destroy the
greatest nation the world has ever seen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-83069774007572445312020-06-07T20:21:00.002-07:002020-06-07T20:21:56.348-07:00A Brief Follow-Up To My Last PostSince last I visited, Rich Lowry at National Review put together <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/06/tom-cotton-new-york-times-op-ed-inside-story/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an excellent summary </a>of the work involved in getting Senator Tom Cotton's Op-Ed to press at The New York Times. <div><br /></div><div>It's also noteworthy that in the aftermath of the crying by all the leftists, The Times has added an "Editor's Note" as well as put the piece behind their paywall. </div><div><br /></div><div>TTFN... see y'all soon.</div>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-9752370231804125182020-06-04T21:10:00.000-07:002020-06-04T21:10:14.117-07:00Safetyism<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boy, has it been a
while... <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I've occasionally used
Facebook for the purpose I should use this space for... to be not safe. I enjoy
my family and friends on Facebook. And I try like the dickens not to post about
controversial subjects there. But because some of them do it sometimes, amnd in
turn I want them to listen to what I have to say about important issues of our
time, and because coming here sometimes feels like I need to make the
commitment to “being a blogger” again like I used to do… I forget, to or choose
not to use, this space I created for myself to document the things I see and
believe are important in the history of my life, our nation, and the world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So, on that note… I am
back, and I am going to try to come back more often. If you like what I write,
let me know… encourage me! Maybe tell a friend… maybe even drop a dime into my PayPal
account over there on the right side of the page under my picture… help me
retire earlier than my current course, or buy a Harley part I need, or maybe
even get to the point I can leave my day job and write full time, which I admit
I would thoroughly enjoy if given the chance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today I learned about a
thing called "Safetyism."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Apparently it's
practiced at The New York Times. According to the <a href="https://twitter.com/bariweiss/status/1268628680797978625" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter thread</a> written
by a lady named Bari Weiss who writes for The Times , there is a "civil
war" happening inside The New York Times between the (mostly young)
"wokes" and the (mostly 40+) liberals. She says it is currently
raging inside other publications and companies across the country. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As Ms. Weiss explains,
the "Old Guard" lives by a set of principles we can broadly call
civil libertarianism. They assumed they shared that worldview with the young
people they hired who called themselves liberals and progressives. But it was
an incorrect assumption.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The "New
Guard" has a different worldview, in which the right of people to feel
emotionally and psychologically safe trumps what were previously considered
core liberal values, like free speech.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Safetyism.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm not familiar with
Ms. Weiss' career, but she states that she's been mocked by many people over
the past few years for writing about the campus culture wars. "They told
me it was a sideshow," she explains, "But this was always why it
mattered: The people who graduated from those campuses would rise to power
inside key institutions and transform them."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She goes on to explain
that she is not surprised by what has now exploded into public view. "In a
way, it's oddly comforting: I feel less alone and less crazy trying to explain
the dynamic to people," she says. "What I am shocked by is the speed.
I thought it would take a few years, not a few weeks."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is really
interesting is how she defines it: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Here's one way to
think about what's at stake: The New York Times motto is "all the news
that's fit to print." One group (the Old Guard) emphasizes the word 'all.'
The other (the New Guard), the word 'fit.'"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This all came about
because of an Op-Ed written by Senator Tom Cotton, published by the Times on
June 3, 2020. Cotton wrote about the potential use of The Insurrection Act,
which is a legal means by which a President can use the military inside our
borders to restore order when civil unrest is beyond the control of local
police, or will not be dealt with by local government officials and public
safety is at risk.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In his piece, Cotton
creates the clear line of delineation with which any reasonable American would
agree; "A majority who seek to protest peacefully shouldn’t be confused
with bands of miscreants."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He went on to discuss
previous uses of The Insurrection Act. For instance, during the 1950s and
1960s, Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson called out
the military to disperse mobs that prevented school desegregation or threatened
innocent lives and property. And more recently, President George H.W. Bush
ordered the Army’s Seventh Infantry and 1,500 Marines to protect Los Angeles
during race riots in 1992. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Times has since
apologized for publishing the piece, because the cancel culture just will not
have something out there that feels uncomfortable to them. “We’ve examined the
piece and the process leading up to its publication. This review made clear
that a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an Op-Ed that did not
meet our standards,” said the paper’s apology, posted by a Times media
reporter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is worth noting that
The Times has published Opinion pieces in the past by such individuals as
Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Maduro, and members of the Taliban, among others, with
little or no pushback from its reporters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I read Cotton's piece.
It was completely civil. At no time did he make any statement that led me to
believe he wished harm upon any American. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course on Twitter
people are making unfounded statements, such as how <a href="https://twitter.com/GloomyNacht/status/1268361054423150592" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cotton suggested "we
should use the military to gun down protestors</a>," and how Cotton is "<a href="https://twitter.com/tanjamaier17/status/1268631117965426688" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apolitician inciting racial hatred and state violence against its citizens</a>"
and "should not be given a platform like NYT to do so."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/opinion/tom-cotton-protests-military.html?fbclid=IwAR2tyV5kBWOgSmjR8elCH_4iv8f2cpfOnQ1DyjnqStZ0fiDTXTUBnTIolZ0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here is the Cotton piece</a>,
in case you're interested in reading for yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are at a tipping
point in America. Right has become wrong, and truth no longer matters. What
feels good is becoming more important that what is, because truth is sometimes
scary. And people who cannot deal with truth, or something that offends their
personal senses, scream at the top of their lungs until the bad thing is taken
away by the adults, who just can't take the childishness of the screaming
anymore.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is no doubt an
injustice was done to George Floyd. George Floyd's killing was an act of pure
evil.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sadly, now, because of
the mob violence that is taking place in the wake of that killing, injustices
have also been done to a number of police officers, <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/retired-police-captain-killed-protecting-friends-pawn-shop-from-looters.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">including but not limitedto David Dorn</a>. Chief Dorn was shot on Martin Luther King Drive in St. Louis,
Missouri, while trying to protect a business owned by a friend. His
assassination was broadcast live on Facebook for all the world to see.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chief Dorn was the
father of five, and the grandfather of ten. By all accounts he was an
upstanding citizen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'll bet celebrities
won't be donating thousands or millions of dollars to Chief Dorn's Go Fund Me
account, even though Chief Dorn was a Black man just as was George Floyd. I'll
bet Al Sharpton won't be running to speak at his funeral. That's if he's given
a funeral at all, what with the Chinese Wuhan Virus being such a thing still,
unless you're rioting that is... </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sadly, about a dozen
civilians have now also been killed during the mob riots that are being fueled
by commentators on CNN and MSNBC, because as Chris Cuomo said, "show me
where it says that protests are supposed to be polite and peaceful?"</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mr. Cuomo should check
the language of The First Amendment, which is the very same amendment that
protects his right to throw rhetorical bombs at Americans and our values on a
nightly basis.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><font size="4">Thanks for visiting... I always welcome comments, or come say hi to me <a href="https://twitter.com/wisdomofsoloman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on Twitter</a>.</font></p><br />Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-47981984279165023372018-04-19T19:31:00.001-07:002018-04-19T19:38:45.514-07:00Alone<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">A long time ago, here in this little corner of cyberspace I share
with you, I spoke about one of the most amazing bands I’ve ever had the
privilege to have met; King’s X. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I really didn’t speak of them so much… in hindsight I would
say I wrote a biography and added a small personal note at the end. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That personal note was about having met the
guys… but to read myself now, I realize I wasn’t really telling the story.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">On June 6, 1992, Jerry Gaskill, Doug Pinnick, and Ty Tabor
played a show in Cleveland, Ohio at a venue called The Empire. It was a
somewhat narrow and long space, so you were either in the crowd or you were
sitting at the bar with a little more breathing room. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">By the time the band was taking the stage, my friends and I had
made our way within the first five rows of eager fans, which spanned all of
about ten people wide. I’d be lying if I said we didn’t get our ears blasted
out, and I’d be lying even more if I said it wasn’t worth it. King’s X came to
play that night, and we were all witnesses. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">As it turns out they were recording that night, and it was
the show that the band deemed worthy of their first live release. </span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">A<span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">s is true with many “smaller” bands, King’s X is
known to take a brief reprieve after their show and then spend all the time it
takes to share some time with anyone who wishes to say hello. Most bands I
follow are great enough to deserve huge recognition, and yet they’re consistently
humbler than most “regular” people I’ve ever met. They all seem to enjoy
meeting their fans and treating them more as friends. I’ve already started
talking about Lincoln Durham and Patrick Sweany, and soon I’ll be telling a
story about getting to know The Steepwater Band… </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="color: #009000;"></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">But in the meantime; King’s X.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #009000; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 13.33px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As Doug and I shook hands and began to talk, he complimented
the necklace I was wearing. It was a simple little thing… five chimes hanging from
a rope necklace, tied there by fishing line. I had bought that necklace at my
one and only Grateful Dead show. I attended this Dead show with my great
friend… the first person I met when we moved to Cleveland in 1978, who’d pretty
much been my best friend all through my high school days.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 13.33px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And so I offered my necklace to this man I had just met. I
did so because he liked it, and because he had just inspired me to find my
better self, although I may not have completely understood that in the moment. He
refused, but I insisted. We went back and forth a few times, until finally I took
the necklace off and leaned over to place it over his head.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 13.33px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Doug told me I would see that necklace again someday. </span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4QKmjASCKQ0/WtlPTqkZqAI/AAAAAAAACvM/scBctGfikGccZDDcr_snsIpZIDsFAsEmgCLcBGAs/s1600/kings%2Bx%2Bdoug%2Bnecklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="466" height="206" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4QKmjASCKQ0/WtlPTqkZqAI/AAAAAAAACvM/scBctGfikGccZDDcr_snsIpZIDsFAsEmgCLcBGAs/s320/kings%2Bx%2Bdoug%2Bnecklace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">In the cover photography for their next album, Dogman, I was
amazed to see that Doug was wearing my necklace. It
was a most amazing gesture.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Over time I really started missing that necklace. It wasn’t
the idea that I gave it away; it was the feeling it had given me when I wore
it. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">At that time in my life, I was living a very casual lifestyle.
I was managing pizza shops and finding my way up the ladder in the service
industry. Working in restaurants, especially the privately owned higher ticket
places, employees are often encouraged to “let their freak flag fly,” if you
will. Personalities that can entertain at a variety of levels make great
bartenders and servers, and I was quite a personality back in the day. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">And while never devout in religion, I’ve always been
spiritual; always seeking a greater understanding how periods of turbulence and
harmony affect my soul. The chimes touched that part of me, and without them I
felt a loss of sorts.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">So, I talked to friends, family, coworkers… anyone who
would listen, probably… and I asked them to please watch for the pieces… even
just the little chimes… maybe in a craft store. I figured if I could put
together the pieces I could try to make my own, else ask for help from someone
close with craft skills beyond mine. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">A couple of years later, for my birthday I believe, my
parents gave me the most amazing gift. During their travels they’d found a
chime necklace… different yet similar… and so perfect. I’m forever grateful for
so much more, but that necklace says everything I will ever need to know about my
parents. I am truly blessed. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I still have that wonderful gift my parents gave me. I’ve
grown into a new life, with a job in an office environment where a certain
level of decorum is the responsible thing to do, and a 50ish year old man
wearing chimes isn’t quite within those guidelines. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">And so I don’t wear it every day, but I still love it just as
much today as the day they gave it to me. I do wear it whenever I’m out riding
my Harley, or any time I go to a show… doing the things that make me who I am…
that make me feel free. And every time I lift that necklace around my neck, that
feeling comes right back. Harmony.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I just told my friend this story the other night… my old dear
friend from high school… and in the process I realized it was he who took me to
that fateful Grateful Dead show. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">He had never heard the story about the fate of the necklace. Truth
be told, I don’t think he remembered the necklace at all, or maybe even that we
had seen The Grateful Dead together. But that’s okay… whether he remembered any
of that between then and now never mattered. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">It’s the fact that we can talk about it today, now that amazing
circumstance has rekindled our friendship. We had lost touch for a while. My
move to Arizona was at a critical time in both our lives, and we had things we
had to do that broke the focus of an everyday friendship. But thanks to
classmates and Facebook, we’ve seemingly picked up at just the right level… for
a couple of guys who have led uniquely different lives, all the while
understanding that very fact as an integral part of why we are great friends. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">As I’ve documented here in times past, I have been through a
lot of self-inflicted and circumstantial drama since my move to Arizona. This includes
but is not limited to a five-year addiction to methamphetamine.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It’s been one heck of a life. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">But I’m 11-years clean now from the thing that almost killed
me, and I know I am a better man for all my life’s experiences. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">The night we met, my (now ex) wife and I discussed moving to
either Phoenix or Tampa. I’m here, she’s not.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Interestingly, the same friend from Cleveland who introduced
me to King's X and encouraged me to go to the Empire show on that hot and humid
June night, had somewhere along the way moved to Phoenix. It’s also worth noting
that this same friend was the first person to break my trust here in my new
home in the desert southwest. I was unaware of exactly how addicted to alcohol
my friend was, and how that addiction was causing his life to spiral out of
control. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">As Memorial Day Weekend approached in 2000, this friend
offered my wife and I the opportunity to stay at his place and enjoy a vacation
in the city that might become our new home. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">She told me to go have fun, but that she wasn’t interested in
going to Phoenix for the weekend, or maybe at all. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Her family life changed in the months leading up to our divorce.
Her parents were moving to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, and her sister was
having a child… the first grandchild in the family. What had once been a promise
to venture across the country in search of an amazing new life together, became
her need to stay rooted in the Great Lakes region. I couldn’t stay, and she
wouldn’t leave. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Devastated, I made my way to Arizona on my own. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Within the first three weeks I lived in that loft in Mesa, my
friend told me he was two months behind on rent and we were being evicted. Of
course, I was a friend… so I trusted him when he suggested we move to the central
corridor of Phoenix, north of downtown. He convinced me there would be more and
better opportunities in that part of town, and that we just needed to stick together.
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">On a beautiful day in late May 2001, just a couple of months
after my friend and I had made that move that was supposed to bring better
opportunities, I was out riding my mountain bike. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I’d been out for about an hour and was ready to head home,
but before I wrapped the ride I decided to huff it up a street on the side of a
mountain to look at what appeared to be an amazing house. I accomplished my
goal and saw that house, so with my adrenalin surging and sweat beading on my
brow, I turned around and began to ride back down the hill. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">As I was headed downhill, gaining speed and momentum, a van facing
the opposite direction pulled away from the curb. I’ll never know if they were
going to cut across my path, but in the split second I saw them and reacted,
that’s what I believed. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Unfortunately, that reaction led me to lock my brakes. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">When my front brake locked I went flying over the handle bars.
At the time I wasn’t wearing a helmet or gloves, and I’d just taken off my shirt.
With both arms trying to extend to stop the impact, I plowed into the blacktop
with my left shoulder and the left side of my face and head. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">There was an ambulance ride, and I spent a couple of nights
in ICU for the concussion. In addition to the road rash on my shoulder and face,
I had breaks in both my arms and had torn off half of my left earlobe. Thank God
for an excellent plastic surgeon. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Apparently, this was just a little too much for my alcoholic
friend. Once I was released from the hospital, he informed me that he couldn’t “take
care of” me, and that he had to leave. I of course didn’t understand what he
was talking about, as taking care of me was my responsibility. But that was
that, and he bailed… leaving me with a rather expensive 3-bedroom apartment to
handle on my own. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I had to break the lease and move to a place I could afford. I
was not able to work for about six weeks, but I did have employment waiting for
me upon my healing. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I got myself better and got to work… and in the process met I
met evil. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I’m sure it wasn’t her intention to be what I perceive her to
be, but the girl who called herself “Vivacious Vicki” was, in my world, the
devil incarnate. She was an addict, although I didn’t know it at the time. You never
know, until it’s too late. And then you’re an addict too. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">There are too many sordid stories to tell here and now, but as
things were at their worst, blessings finally came my way. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Five years of tearing my life apart at the hands of the devil
eventually led to the good fortune of meeting a better person, who helped me
reconnect with my parents and find my way back to myself. The power of my
parents’ respect was enough to make me understand what I had become, and what I
had to do. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">So I took a 5-day assignment through a temp agency. I started
that job on Monday, October 2, 2006. I relapsed in February 2007 for one
weekend, but never again. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I still work for that same company today. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I truly believe life has moments of turbulence and moments of
harmonious glory, and that the wonder of life is learning to navigate those
highs and lows without losing yourself in between. I’ve learned about the lows
in a way many never will, and I have certainly been blessed with some highs I’ll
never forget. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I have chosen to make my home a place that is two thousand
miles away from everyone I love most in this world. But I am blessed to be
loved by amazing people who never let me forget who I am, and I know amazing
sources of inspiration… friends to me in their own unique way… who remind me
that no one should ever be made to feel alone.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tomorrow night, April 20, 2018, I will have the amazing
fortune of coming full circle over an extremely monumental period in my life,
as I am going to see King’s X for the first time since that night in Cleveland.
What a long, strange trip it’s been.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "&quot" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4nDxpgqEZsU" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-4294583767427820502018-04-10T23:20:00.000-07:002018-04-10T23:20:09.701-07:00People Of The Land
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Citing
“The Crisis in Syria," President Trump announced today that he was not
traveling to South America as had been planned. Vice-President Pence will
travel in his stead. I had so hoped he wouldn't do a damned thing about Syria,
but instead take care of America. It's what he campaigned on, after all, and it
seems The Swamp sure wants another war in The Middle East... </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Also
today, Mark Zuckerberg gave America it's very own collective #MeToo moment. It
seems we have all been his bitch. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Yesterday
on CNN, Jake Tapper cut away from Ambassador Nikki Hayley testifying at The
United Nations about matters that could lead our nation into a war in Syria.
What he went to was “Breaking News” that was indirectly related to the Stormy
Daniels situation, which is apparently the chosen battlefield of "The Most
Trusted Name In News."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">If you’re
not familiar with Ms. Daniels, she’s the porn star who allegedly let the
current President grab her by the... or something, back when he was a rich
playboy... 2006 or something. I understand he was married, and that sucks. I've
not been a saint so I'm not one to judge... but it does help define the man,
and that's important in politics. at least we would like to think, since the
era of FDR and JFK, Slick Willie... the story of Obama doing cocaine and
whatever... I mean heck, our Founders had babies with Slaves. Nobody's
perfect... at least none of us. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">My point
is that we all knew he was a pig. And yet enough of us either wanted him
because of some campaign promise, or we held our nose to protect America from
Hillary, or we're deplorable raaaaacists... so here we are.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">It’s
possible that someday we might learn someday whether Donald J. Trump is the
maniacal despot many believe. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Or
perhaps Robert Mueller is just going to keep on digging through Trump’s garbage
cans, making a mockery of America. I’ve honestly wondered if this whole thing
isn’t some sort of Clinton payback… especially now that we’ve learned Facebook
has been working with Mueller? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I’ve
honestly not been watching the Stormy Chasers as closely as I have the attacks
on our Second and First Amendment by children, who are being supported by major
leftist lobbying groups. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I’m also
watching as an amazing number of corporations are being bullied into submission
by partisan leftists acting as economic terrorists. These people are so
hell-bent on destroying any of the foundation remaining under this great nation
that they’ll sacrifice damned near anything. I’m wondering how long it will be
until Starbuck’s is a corporate sponsor of the wrong cause du jour… </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Those
kids went through Hell, for sure. Our schools should be safer, for sure. But law-abiding
Americans should not lose their rights because of the actions of a few
outliers. Fact is that if you don’t own a gun whenever the shit goes down, you
might want to know a guy or gal who thinks like me. We are freedom’s safest
place.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">America
is the Land of Liberty, and Liberty is not a safe space. The government can't
protect everyone all the time, as has been proven by events like the shooting
in Parkland, where the authorities were called to the shooter’s house 39 times yet
failed to accept what was right in front of them. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Oh, and
September 11<sup>th</sup>, 2001. Another day we weren’t quite ready for. There’s
a #NotOneMore moment in American history if there ever was such a thing.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Our
Founding Fathers left us the promise of being able to protect ourselves.
Whether from each other, or from The Swamp, or an invader from another land
meaning to do us harm... The Second Amendment is meant to protect
Liberty. The thing is to do it responsibly, with respect for everyone else's rights, whatever you may think.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">This past
weekend I rode my Harley a little, got a mountain bike ride in, chilled with my
“kids.” I stayed away from the drama of The Swamp and had a good weekend of
personal growth. I need more of that.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">But I’ve
learned that I also need to know what’s going on in The Swamp. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">It seems
like every day there’s something new. People moving out, people moving in. Why?
Because of the color of their skin. People love it when you lose. They love
dirty laundry… Run, run, run, but you just can’t hide. Just leave well enough
alone, eat your dirty laundry…</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">The thing
is, there’s a fine line between right and wrong. Right now, I think the hard
left and the hard right are simultaneously correct and incorrect about a number
of issues. What we all have in common is our disdain for the people who we
believe have been gaining the system at our expense. Where we differ is more
difficult, but I think the more we talk the more we find we understand each
other. And that’s the key.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I’m a
simple man who lives a simple life. I am a twice divorced, white, 51-year old man living in the “Wild West” out here in Arizona.. a "Deplorable" if there ever was one. Out here we still see people
carrying a gun occasionally without losing our collective minds. Most of us believe in the individual first and foremost, while still respecting and appreciating the collective. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I believe in
Liberty, which means letting the other guy live his life responsibly, provided
he’s not interfering with yours. I’m a staunch defender of The Bill of Rights,
many of which I believe are being trampled upon by The Swamp, a.k.a.
Washington, D. C. I used to call it The District of Criminals, or The District
for short. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Swamp is perfect to begin a sentence, I don’t even have to use my
shift button... but I digress... </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I plan to
start writing more about a great many issues. There are some issues about which
I think the right-wing could use some understanding, or open-mindedness, or
both… and some where those truly in search of progress need to slow down… maybe
learn a little something from history before they go making all this change we
necessarily need as much as they think. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">But
for now I leave you with a little song called “People Of The Land,” written and
performed by a cool cat named Lincoln Durham. Lincoln brings influences from
amazing places and people in the history of music to my world. I hope you
enjoy.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v9iZdpPpyzo" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-47329852555886014242018-04-08T18:54:00.002-07:002018-04-08T20:25:04.196-07:00Tiger Pride<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">The last time I saw Patrick
Sweany perform was last October. I was in the midlle of a stretch where I enjoyed
four amazing shows over about a 2-month period by some of the most amazing
musicians of our time (Tab Benoit, The Steepwater Band twice, and Sweany). It also
happened to be Sweany’s last night of touring in support of “Daytime Turned to
Nighttime,” his seventh album. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">Rather than taking an
exit and making the crowd cheer for an encore, he had fun with the crowd,
joking about how they (the band) might otherwise be standing outside the stage
door of The Rhythm Room (in a very confined space) and “make you beg for the
songs you want to hear.” </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">“Value Added,” he said. Funny, I use <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17.33px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17.33px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">phrase </span>a lot…</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">As he continued having fun playing
with the crowd, he broke into the story of being a kid from from Massillon, Ohio. “In
high school, I was a 152 pound.. tackle” he joked. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">So instead of getting his butt kicked on the football field, he picked up the
guitar. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">“Tiger Pride” is a fun
blues number that feels really close to home. It’s Patrick Sweany’s ode to his hometown. It took him until his seventh album
to write it… or at least to put it on record… because sometimes it takes some
of us just a little longer to recognize just how good we really had it growing up, or in that place in life, that relationship... job... or whatever it is… and </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">how
important it is to keep showing respect to those who made us who we are today.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #009000; font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #b01400; font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KFwwYkEnsmg" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-90274342567234607502018-03-27T22:16:00.004-07:002018-03-27T22:21:18.820-07:00Hogg Finally Challenged<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I want to get away from the media hype and start focusing on the facts of history, regarding why our <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/second_amendment" target="_blank">Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms</a> was a vital part of the <a href="https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=308111088105099110088001003106103007054027040080070045096086027073000064126120015002126026116029049096000076022087091114107102016036036048035087100112081031075004014000067025000119125110104126089000119026091070015069017092125096074114094116092124&EXT=pdf" target="_blank">beginning of The Revolutionary War</a>, and why we must maintain our Rights in order to protect America.</span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But tonight I must say; it is nice that someone
in the media <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/27/david-hogg-fact-checked-on-air-cnn/" target="_blank">finally challenged <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">David Hogg</span></a>, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%20http://dailycaller.com/2018/03/27/david-hogg-fact-checked-on-air-cnn/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">the newly minted child advocate for “common
sense gun laws, </span>at least a little bit.” His rhetoric has been ill-informed, and <a href="https://youtu.be/8aYUOqZrhos" target="_blank">beyond reprehensible</a>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">It is worth noting that Hogg will not appear on any news network where he might face scrutiny or
difficult questions. Nor will he be interviewed by any individual who might ask
him <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/03/27/cnn-host-admits-he-let-david-hogg-tell-lies-during-interview-just-wait-until-you-hear-his-reason" target="_blank">questions that differ with his own sheltered opinions</a>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">He also refuses to
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/28638/showdown-kyle-kashuv-challenges-david-hogg-debate-ryan-saavedra" target="_blank">debate a fellow Parkland student</a> whose opinions lean towards the protection of
The Second Amendment and the individual’s right to responsibility keep and bear
arms.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But setting that aside
for a moment, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Hogg</span> is still wrong about Senator Rubio.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">By all accounts, Senator
Marco Rubio <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/03/26/parkland-actually-rubio-really-listened-to-me-and-people-attacking-him-for-nra-support-are-being-unfair-n2464770" target="_blank">is a decent man</a> who wishes no harm, nor ill will, towards
another human being.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Hogg </span>is also
wildly misinformed about the NRA. Or, he is using lies as talking points to
promote an anti-Constitutional agenda.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The National Rifle
Association is not in the business of promoting the killing of children, or
anyone for that matter. The NRA at its core is an organization that <a href="https://home.nra.org/about-the-nra/" target="_blank">promotes the safe and responsible use of firearms</a>. It also happens to lobby Congress
towards the <a href="https://www.nraila.org/" target="_blank">protection of The Second Amendment</a> of The Constitution of The
United States of America.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/arms.asp#b2" target="_blank">Those who understand our nation’s founding understand how important that issue is to the protection of our republic.</a></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">For the sake of
comparison:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Planned Parenthood is
also a lobbying organization. It publicly promotes what it calls family
planning and women’s health.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But Planned Parenthood
also performed <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/04/health/planned-parenthood-by-the-numbers/index.html" target="_blank">323,999 abortions in 2014</a>, according to statistics givens to
CNN. And that’s likely a consistent number, year over year.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Planned Parenthood
l<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/indusclient.php?id=Q15" target="_blank">obbies for the protection of abortion rights</a>, which means it lobbies for its
own right to take the lives of unborn human beings, under the guise of “women’s
health.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">It is also worth noting
<a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2018/03/trump-signs-republican-spending-bill-planned-parenthood-gets-500-million/" target="_blank">Planned Parenthood is funded in part by federal tax money</a>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">That means whether or
not I like it, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2015/10/02/are-american-taxpayers-paying-for-abortion/#6f47ec4d6a4b" target="_blank">some of my taxes are paying for abortions</a>. Many, including this American,
consider that fact a violation of our First Amendment, which protects our religious
liberty from the intrusion of government.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/news/cnnmoney-investigates/nra-funding-donors/index.html" target="_blank">The NRA is funded by individuals and companies</a>. It receives no taxpayer funding. It is true that
firearms manufacturers donate to the organization.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Planned Parenthood was
<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/parkland-teens-organization?utm_term=.xoaJDOWW7o#.dlJ87vPPK6" target="_blank">involved in the organization</a> of the so-called “March For Our Lives” rallies
held nationwide last weekend.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I find it deeply ironic
that an organization that lobbies our government for its own right to take life
as a business, is promoting children in their advocacy against another
organization which does not take life, nor promote such immoral behavior.</span></div>
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-1147149730837851952018-03-23T18:36:00.003-07:002018-03-23T18:49:23.141-07:00About That Omnibus...
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">There are
no two ways about it; Planned Parenthood kills unborn children.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">In addition to "100 years of providing education,
information, and services to help you make informed choices about your sexual
and reproductive health” Planned Parenthood performs hundreds of thousands of
abortions each year... 323,999 in 2014, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/04/health/planned-parenthood-by-the-numbers/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">information
provided to CNN</span></a>.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Additionally,
Planned Parenthood is a huge <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000591&cycle=2016" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">political funding and lobbying
organization</span></a>. In 2016 it contributed $4,070,102 to candidates seeking
federal office (all Democrats). Over the years 2015-2016, Planned Parenthood
spent over $2.35 million working towards the election of only one political
party, as well as maintaining its own right to kill unborn children.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Furthermore, Planned Parenthood is, albeit indirectly, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/parkland-teens-organization?utm_term=.qx4RXDnLl#.djzPzMj58" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">one of the largest supporters</span></a> of the
so-called “March For Our Lives” event taking place tomorrow. This event sounds
great, and I am quite certain many well-meaning people will attend. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I hope it’s an educational experience for all... perhaps
there will be readings from <a href="https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">TheConstitution</span></a>, or <a href="https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/The+Federalist+Papers" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Federalist Papers</span></a>... I hear <a href="https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/The+Federalist+Papers#TheFederalistPapers-46" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Federalist No. 46</span></a> is an excellent
read...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">But if we’re being honest, the “March For Our Lives” is
really a Democratic Party anti-gun rally. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Sadly, it seems a handful of outspoken if not somewhat
undereducated children who lived through a horrific experience have now been
co-opted by a couple of cable networks and a few “news” outlets, as well as a
handful of prominent Democrat politicians.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Don’t believe me? Try to find <a href="https://twitter.com/KyleKashuv" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Kyle
Kashuv</span></a> being interviewed on <a href="https://www.google.com/search?ei=Jau1WvvWDcGIjQPMpa-QAw&q=kyle+kashuv+msnbc&oq=kyle+kashuv+msnbc&gs_l=psy-ab.3...76.3412.0.3772.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.KyYLoEo6L7k" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">CNN or MSNBC... or anywhere in the
"mainstream" media</span></a>. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Count <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/students-take-the-lead-but-politicians-will-be-out-in-force-at-march-for-our-lives/2018/03/23/603588c4-2e14-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.40e6b9c10ddc" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">how many Democrats</span></a> make speeches at
these rallies tomorrow compared to the number of Republicans invited. It’s not
because Republicans don’t care about the safety of kids in schools; it’s
because <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-education/2018/03/13/trump-school-safety-plan-targets-obama-discipline-directive-130118" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the ideasRepublicans offer</span></a> don’t
involve removing Constitutional Rights from law abiding citizens.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I am willing to accept some abortions are done for
medically sound reasons, and I’m willing to understand the idea of termination
due to rape or incest. But evidence has been presented repeatedly that shows
Planned Parenthood helps (if not encourages) teenagers to have abortions as a
form of birth control, often without parental consent. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">I am not
willing to accept teenagers who don’t even understand The Constitution telling
me that my rights are less important than their friend’s embarrassment about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TJObNzyc8M&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">carrying a tampon in a backpack</span></a>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">And I
don’t appreciate my tax dollars funding any political party. I don’t want my
hard-earned dollars funding Planned Parenthood and the Democrat Party through a
spending bill, the same as I know some would say of the Republicans and the
NRA. Therefore, neither. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Today President Trump signed a spending bill that, amongst
other incredibly unnecessary things, gives $500mil to Planned Parenthood.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">As much as I have appreciated some of the accomplishments
of his administration, as far as I’m concerned, taxpayers continuing to fund
Planned Parenthood is a fireable offense. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; margin: 0px;">Because as I’ve said since I started writing here in 2009;
it’s not about right or left… it’s about what is right and what is wrong.</span></div>
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-91139538628906107562018-03-18T13:26:00.001-07:002018-03-18T13:36:54.823-07:00In Defense of The Second Amendment<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;">Tonight, March 18th, 2018, the CBS news documentary show " 60
Minutes" is airing an interview with some of the students who survived the
February 14th shooting at <span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-origin: padding-box; background-position: 0% 0%; background-size: auto; margin: 0px;"><span style="background: white; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #ba0008; float: none; margin: 0px; word-spacing: 0px;">Marjory Stoneman Douglas High </span></span></span>School
in Parkland, Florida. </span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;">I am interested to see which students are
interviewed. </span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;">Or, more correctly, I am interested to see if
some students are not interviewed, and what if any statement is made by the
news team at CBS.</span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Regardless,
I will be watching, </span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Afterwards,
I will return here. </span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And
when I return, I will begin to work in defense of The Second Amendment, in the
one place I feel I can most effectively help the cause of saving our nation.</span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Because
it is my firmly held belief that without The Second Amendment, we cannot defend
any other. Our Founding Fathers understood this, and they documented it with
great clarity, in their time. Of course they weren't of the time of YouTube,
and 1:30 snippets of cable news, or social media pages like "Occupy
Democrats," where information can just be put out there without reasonable
challenge, and then shared across the world at the touch of a finger...</span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;">But for now, I’m off to ride… I've got a steel horse out there I
call Liberty, and we're off to listen to the sound of freedom for a minute.</span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "&quot" , serif; margin: 0px;">God Bless.</span></span><span style="color: black; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-72551081567601571212013-10-27T20:30:00.000-07:002013-10-27T20:30:27.803-07:00More of the McSameOn 550 KFYI's “Nearly Famous Barry Young Show” on Tuesday, Arizona Republican Senator John McCain said he's "seriously considering" running for another term when his current one ends three years from now. McCain was responding to a caller who criticized him for breaking from party leadership to support an extension of the nation's debt ceiling and an end to the recent partial government shutdown.<br />
<br />
<i> "I would match my voting record against anyone's,"</i> McCain told the caller, <i> and I'm seriously thinking about maybe giving another opportunity for you to vote for or against me a few years from now. I'm seriously giving that a lot of thought. I'm certainly getting a lot of encouragement from our business community,"</i> which McCain said was angry at the shutdown and the impact it had on businesses. <br />
<br />
Barry Young responded, <i> "If some wild-eyed journalist is listening to this program and runs off and says John McCain announced on the air that he might run for another term in the Senate, that would not be wrong?”</i> <br />
<br />
McCain, who will be 80 years old when his current term expires in 2016, replied, <i>"That would not be wrong."</i><br />
<br />
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116547667"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
There is no disputing that Senator McCain is a hero of the Vietnam War era, but his time has long since past. In the opinion of this blogger (<A HREF="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/obama-to-congress-time-to-ignore-activists-bloggers-and-talking-heads-on-radio/" TARGET="_blank">who, by the way, President Obama says should be ignored</a>), John McCain has become more of the problem in Washington than he has ever been part of the solution. In recent weeks, it has been the “go along to get along” attitude of those like McCain that has proven the Republican Party is in a state of failure and needs a complete overhaul. The Republican Party needs to stand for something besides bowing at the feet of President Obama and the entrenched political ruling class, or it is going to cease to exist.<br />
<br />
Sadly because he has such deep pockets and is so entrenched in the Washington system, it will be nearly impossible to defeat McCain. But those of us in Arizona who know what's good for us will certainly make our best effort to remove McCain from the office we believe he no longer deserves to hold.<br />
<br />
America is on life support due to many factors, but the largest concern that should be on the mind of every voting American is the out-of-control spending that has taken control of Washington, D.C. In my opinion and the opinion of many others, that and a need to eliminate the entrenched political ruling class on both sides of the aisle are the two largest issues currently facing this nation. Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ted Cruz may be young and still learning their way, but Washington needs many more “wacko-birds” like them and a lot less John McCain if this nation is going to survive. <br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-55915037822758392222013-10-23T21:54:00.000-07:002013-10-23T21:54:17.873-07:00Extortion, Senate Democrat StyleTonight some news outlets are reporting that five or six “red state” Senate Democrats are considering breaking ranks with President Obama over the “individual mandate” in Democare. The rumor mill has it that they will ask for a delay of the mandate, at the least for six to eight weeks but possibly up to one year. This is shocking news.. some might even call it extortion on the part of these Senators... considering that just one week ago those who wished to delay the individual mandate were “extortionists,” “anarchists,” were “holding a gun to the head of America,” “had a bomb strapped to their chest.” At least according to President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and many others on the left, that was the case... and my apologies to any liberals whose colorful descriptions of “teabaggers” I left out of this list. But I think we get the point.<br />
<br />
If this rumor comes to fruition, I hope every news agency (Brian Williams at NBC) that railed against the “extremist right-wing faction” of the Republican Party runs some kind of story explaining how what the Democrats plan to do is EXACTLY what the “extremists” were asking to do just one week ago. After all it was those extremist Republicans all by themselves, with no help from President Obama and Harry Reid (who refused to negotiate on anything), who apparently managed to shut down the entire federal government (even though it was really only about 15%) and attempt to destroy America… <br />
<br />
I also hope those networks cover in great detail the voting record of those who are shifting their position for political expediency. I’m not holding my breath, mind you, but I’m hopeful. <br />
<br />
If they were in office when Democare was passed (which should include all but Joe Manchin, although I haven't checked each record), I hope the voters in those “red states” vote against each and every one of those shape-shifting Democrats. These Senators are not making this decision because they think it’s the right thing to do; they’re making this decision for political expediency. They’re afraid because the Democare roll-out has been a disaster so far, and at this moment there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. They are fearful for their lavish ruling class lifestyle.<br />
<br />
Even if a person disagrees with their policies, those Americans who truly want change in Washington should support Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Marco Rubio more than any of these entrenched hypocrites. The same goes for the likes of John McCain, Lindsay Graham and many on the political right. I feel similarly about Senator Bernie Sanders and former Congressman Dennis Kucinich as I do about Cruz, Lee and Rubio; at least with those two men I know where they stand, and I know they vote their conscience. They’re respectful and they’re not rhetorical bomb-throwers like President Obama and his cronies. While I may have principled disagreement with their ideology, I respect that they know their values and they stand by them. <br />
<br />
Clearly there are many on the right and the left about whom the same cannot be said, and it’s time to start naming names and holding those individuals accountable. The days of the “What difference at this point does it make” politician have come to an end; it’s time for We, The People to take back America. <br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-63654309058529997002013-10-22T18:54:00.002-07:002013-10-22T18:54:55.728-07:00Civil Discourse, Progressive StyleRemember in January 2011, after Gabriel Giffords was shot, and President Barack Obama urged Americans to tone down their rhetoric and debate “in a way that heals, not a way that wounds?” I wonder if this is what he had in mind... <br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpZ8uYGyaeE/UmcroRgDe4I/AAAAAAAABLI/xYd2BjxUgFo/s1600/grayson.bmp" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpZ8uYGyaeE/UmcroRgDe4I/AAAAAAAABLI/xYd2BjxUgFo/s640/grayson.bmp" /></a><br />
<br />
<A HREF="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/alan-grayson-tea-party-kkk-98673.html" TARGET="_blank">See the full story here.</a>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-15188767760792428952013-10-03T21:46:00.001-07:002013-10-03T21:52:27.473-07:00An Opinion From One Anarchist With a Bomb Strapped To My Chest, Or Something... A friend from a long time ago with whom I’ve recently reconnected through Facebook, tonight posted a link from MoveOn.org offering the opportunity to sign a petition. I have sat in front of my computer for the past two hours constructing, deleting and reconstructing a reply to her post, but I will not paste it into the comment box because it will open a can of worms I just don’t need to open. So I am here, to reopen my though process on politics at least on this night, in the forum I have where I know I will not offend even those with whom I might sometimes disagree, so that I may express my opinion on the ridiculousness of the government shutdown and how blame is being assessed. <br />
<br />
<i>“I demand that members of Congress NOT get paid during a self-inflicted government shutdown. It is morally reprehensible that hardworking federal employees will stop receiving the paychecks they need to feed their families and pay their mortgages, while Congress still gets paid for refusing to do the job they were elected to do,” </i> said the “Petition Statement” inside a pretty looking box, with a background just a bit brighter and font just a bit larger than the rest of the page. All dressed up to make the good impression, I figure, because below that was the real message behind the MoveOn.org madness:<br />
<br />
<p style="text-align: left; padding-left: 30px; font-style: italic;">Since October 1st, hundreds of thousands of middle-class federal employees have been furloughed due to irresponsible members of Congress who refuse to govern for the well-being of the American people. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives decided to shut down the government rather than pass a spending bill that funds the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare.” Not only has the President’s signature healthcare law been upheld by the Supreme Court, but it was a major issue in the last presidential election when Republicans were soundly defeated.<br />
<br />
These Republican members of Congress -- including California’s own House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy -- are putting the extreme and ideological demands of a small minority over the health of the American economy. And now, federal employees, veterans, and hard-working families will be the ones that have to pay the price. That is unfair and morally reprehensible.<br />
<br />
Congress should take responsibility for their own inaction and lose their paychecks until they come to a resolution. Every day this drags on, the more damage it does to everyday Americans and our nation’s fragile economy.</p><br />
I don’t disagree with the premise that Congress could do better on both sides, but I disagree with MoveOn.org's (and much of the lapdog media's) assertion that it’s entirely the GOP’s fault this is happening. The law (Democare/Obamacare) that is at the center of the controversy is not the same law that was passed in 2010. Although barely reported by the media but for a few rare exceptions (evil talk radio and "Faux Snooze"), Democare was the first major legislation in history passed without ANY opposition support. That is pure fact, not Fox spin. Since Democare was passed, President Obama has unilaterally (and therefore illegally) granted multiple special waivers and exemptions for political gain or as political favors. That is not how The Constitution states that laws are altered or amended, although we’re no longer living in a land governed by our own laws, I suppose. <br />
<br />
Democare is also WAY over budget; three times what President Obama originally said it would cost to initiate, and ultimately so bad the CBO said it is going to bankrupt us if we don’t get it fixed. And since it is now the controlling set of instructions that regulate our healthcare, and healthcare controls/consumes approximately 1/6 of our economy, Democare is a large part of our budget and the Republicans are completely within their Constitutional authority by attempting to fix it while passing the continuing resolution, which is part of the budget process. Apparently Senator Reid and President Obama didn’t take a high school civics class or they’d stop denigrating the other side for following the law, but I digress… <br />
<br />
Every national poll taken by a respectable organization (not MoveOn, TPM or HuffPo for example) has reported that a larger percentage dislike Democare than like it - Google “real clear politics Obamacare” and click the first link if you don’t believe me. In my opinion it’s actually Obama, Reid and the Democrats who are acting like bullies right now by not showing a willingness to at least sit down and discuss the differences; that’s called coming to conference, and again a high school civics class would help Senator Reid understand how that works. But that’s Obama’s America; point the finger at the Republicans and call them names (war on women, don’t want children to have healthcare, want dirty air and water, gun-toting bible thumping flat-earthers), knowing the majority of the media won’t report the truth, and that most Americans are (sadly) too uneducated about our own governmental system to know the difference and too busy being distracted by the Kardashians and American Idol to care. <br />
<br />
In closing, if I may… we “teabaggers” as the leftists like Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper and others like to call us… we are not a small minority. We are not extortionists (Carney) or arsonists (Pelosi), we’re not anarchists (Reid) and we don’t have a friggin’ bomb strapped to our chests as senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer said. Oh, and some Democrat Congressman said something about a jihad… and then there’s President Obama himself saying something about Republicans and someone having a gun to someone’s head… <br />
<br />
That’s the rhetoric coming at American citizens from the liberal leadership in America, simply because we don’t appreciate having a bogus tax shoved down our throats through parliamentary tricks… again, passing major legislation through reconciliation in order to get it done with 59 instead of the usually required 60 votes in the Senate is unprecedented and should never have happened. Remember after Gabby Giffords got shot and Obama gave that speech in which he said we all needed to “tone down the rhetoric?” Where is our President’s criticism of the comments coming from his own side? I thought he was the leader of “All Americans?” Yeah, silly me… <br />
<br />
For a more professional breakdown of the facts of this case, Charles Krauthammer has written <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-who-shut-down-yellowstone/2013/10/03/1b1cb4a8-2c64-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html" TARGET="_blank">this excellent piece</a>.Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-58047090526674083052013-05-27T19:45:00.000-07:002013-05-27T20:36:49.240-07:00On Memorial Day<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLL-JjO1PJ8/UaQZFVFKa8I/AAAAAAAABJ8/DLoJIKRUl8w/s1600/969910_10151609364557482_2123531357_n+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLL-JjO1PJ8/UaQZFVFKa8I/AAAAAAAABJ8/DLoJIKRUl8w/s320/969910_10151609364557482_2123531357_n+(1).jpg" /></a><br />
(<a HREF="https://www.facebook.com/JeffPicoultPhotography?fref=ts" TARGET="_blank">photo credit to jeff picoult photography</a>)<br />
<br />
I am blessed that my work is in manufacturing, and typically the “major” national holidays are given as time off with pay in my industry. I haven’t always been so fortunate, so I am grateful for the fact that a few times a year I receive a day off with pay for nothing more than the fact that it is a holiday. <br />
<br />
I had a wonderful, peaceful weekend, and I hope you all had the same. For me a peaceful weekend is a pretty simple thing to achieve. I’m a “cheap date,” I guess you could say, and even more so since I became a little gun shy with the Jeep after the last adventure I took cost me some serious cash. I’m getting closer to taking a weekend drive to the mountains… there’s a New Moon coming up in a couple weeks, and I think that would be a great time to camp out for a night. Away from the city lights, no moon in the sky, where I can really see the stars more clearly... it just seems like the thing to do. I’m already amazed by the amount of stars I can see from here from my home, which is in the city but somewhat in the outlying area, and I am sure it’s going to be amazing to see what I’ve been missing. I’ve got a pup tent, a sleeping bag, and one of those collapsible chairs with the built in cup holder… I just need to pick up a small cooler so I can keep my beverages and some food cold, and I’m ready to go.<br />
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Anyway, that aside… I slept in on Saturday, got in a good bike ride in the late afternoon, and then watched my Diamondbacks lose a tough game against the San Diego Padres. After the game I enjoyed a nice late evening walk through the neighborhood just north of my apartments while I let the cats have some time out on the patio, then came home and watched a few episodes of “Big Bang Theory” on the DVR. It’s a cute show, and I’ve come to enjoy catching up with it in syndication. There is some typical leftist Hollywood stuff in the stories, like the lead female Penny wearing a “Hillary 2008” t-shirt and getting a “cute shirt!” compliment from a new neighbor, and some stereotyping of Sheldon’s mother as a bit of a right-wing zealot and Bible-thumper… but if you can (as I’m learning to) look past that crap and enjoy the humor and character interaction, it’s rather well written and the actors have grown into their characters well. <br />
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Sunday I woke to a nice surprise - a phone call from my Mom, who called if for no other reason to say hello, and to check and see if a package she sent had arrived safely. I enjoyed watching the Indianapolis 500; much like the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, Indy is one of those “can’t miss” races on my calendar which I prefer to watch live rather than recorded if at all possible. Shortly after the race ended the Diamondbacks game started. I worked out through the first half of the game; working out involves resistance bands, a pull-up bar used for pushups, and a thing called the “Ab Carver” that is really, really tough to use… it is getting easier to use as my core muscles get stronger, but I’ve come to realize I had really let myself go. Around the 7th inning I was done working out and was ready to get the bike out, and since the game was good and I wanted to see the finish, I set the DVR and I was off and riding. Once I got home and cleaned up I put on the end of the game (Dbacks won), then started watching the NASCAR race… after 600 miles, two red flags and a bunch of cautions for wrecks I had almost lost interest, even with the DVR to help me cut out the seemingly endless stream of commercials. Perhaps it is understandable that NASCAR maintains the tradition of the 600 mile race on Memorial Day weekend, but I for one am glad that they have cut down the length of some of their other races. <br />
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This morning I woke up and enjoyed a couple hours of peace and quiet. The cats were outside enjoying a beautiful overcast morning on the patio; I had some oatmeal with strawberry slices… why didn’t I learn to like that at a younger age??... some (turkey) sausage patties and a glass of orange juice… and quiet. Some of my favorite moments happen when I wake up early on the weekends, listen to the chirping of the birds, and enjoy as my cats watch the ‘show’ that is nature, in the tree right outside my apartment. I’m kind of lucky, I believe, in the fact that I’ve come to appreciate what others may not understand. I look forward to the day I can get out of this apartment and own a home, don’t get me wrong… it amuses me, though, when people ask me how I can have four cats in a one bedroom apartment, and why I don’t get out and do more on the weekends. The need to get out and do stuff is not such an overwhelming feeling in me… I have, and I will again. Of that I am certain. And the cats… there’s so much love there… I know for certain that if not for me, they would not have had a chance… and I know for certain that without them, I’d not be the man I am today. After all, it takes a lot of patience and understanding to get four cats to share such a small space without tearing each other to shreds… <br />
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Not just on this day, but every day, I am so grateful to those who came before us, who gave their lives so I can wake up on the occasional Sunday morning, or on a Memorial Day Monday, and enjoy the chirping of the birds and the tranquility of a peaceful nation that is not burdened with the devastation of war within its own borders. I am able to earn my fair wage for my honest work and (for the most part) do with that income as I see fit. I have the right to praise my God, and others have the right to refuse God, and we are treated equally under the laws of this great nation. And thankfully, still, without fear of retribution, we can all speak our mind about the state of leadership of this nation, be it good or bad… and every so often we have the opportunity to affect change, with a vote for those we believe will better protect our values and our rights. <br />
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I believe there are some people who are lucky enough to live in this land, where we are free from real tyranny, who sometimes forget how lucky we are. There are some who have not been so lucky, and there are some who paid the ultimate price so we might be so blessed. So many people today ‘need’ so much… we’re such an instant gratification, “gotta have it” society… I feel like sometimes even I can succumb to this, with my DVR and my high-speed internet that I wouldn’t want to be without… but the best times in life, the ones I really wouldn’t want to be without, are those with nothing more in front of me than the little friends with whom I share this humble little home, the sounds of the chirping birds, and the beauty of the sun rising on another magnificent day.<br />
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A doubleheader today… The Diamondbacks won the first of two against The Texas Rangers, who are currently owners of the best record in baseball. It’s tied at 2 in the bottom of the 4th inning of Game 2 as I close this… I love National League baseball. Growing up in Cleveland and having watched the American League with the DH, and now seeing the strategy and coaching involved in the game where pitchers actually are a complete part of the game… I’ll take a double-switch and the challenge of deciding whether or not to have the pitcher hit in certain times of the game every day of the week, thank you…<br />
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Take care, y’all… Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-47358231955360747702013-04-23T20:53:00.001-07:002013-04-23T20:53:30.532-07:00Jihad, In the Era of Political CorrectnessTonight on Hannity, while discussing the mistake made by the FBI regarding "Suspect #1" (the older brother of the currently detained "Suspect #2") and the warnings offered by the Russian government, as well as Suspect #1's travel to Russia and our government's failure to diligently investigate him even though we had actionable intelligence from a nation that may not always seem to act in the best interests of America, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) said the following:<br />
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<p style="text-align: left; padding-left: 30px; font-style: italic;">"The bottom line is that we have an emerging problem here that we knew was going to be a problem. And that is people living in The United States... maybe citizens... maybe lived here their whole lives, who are being radicalized by things they're reading and hearing, on the internet and otherwise... who are learning how to make bombs on the internet, et cetera. <br />
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This is the growing face of the terrorist threat facing our country. It's a very serious threat, and we need to stop playing political correctness with it and identify it for what it is. <br />
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This is terrorism. Just because it wasn't organized in a cave somewhere in the Middle East doesn't not make it terrorism. This is terrorism, and we need to deal with it that way."</p><br />
I couldn't have said it better myself.<br />
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America's highest priorities last week were prayers for those most closely affected by the terrorism, the identification of suspects, and the diligent pursuit of those suspects until the point of capture or killing in the attempt to capture. <br />
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To be certain, my prayers remain with the fallen and their families. But now that we've met the threshold of capture or killing in the attempt to capture, it's time to discuss with boldness and honesty the truth of the situation; Americans were dealt a violent awakening last week as we learned that Jihad is indeed alive and well. Sadly, that came in the form of the loss of no less than four innocent lives as well as physical harm to hundreds. <br />
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What happened in Boston last week was terrorism, not a tragedy... a tragedy is an earthquake, or a hurricane, or even an oil rig exploding in The Gulf... and to have politicized it in the immediate aftermath would have been disgraceful. I had my opinions early on in the investigation, as I know many people did... but even though I have this forum through which I have been known to clearly express my opinion with disdain for political correctness and perhaps sometimes regardless of the feelings of others, I kept my personal opinion about the possibilities to myself until more facts came to the surface and we had a better grasp of what really happened. <br />
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Having said that, I'm thoroughly disappointed in many politicians and political allies of the current administration as well as the "Mainstream" (liberal) media, including most prominently NBC News (which by default includes MSNBC) and CNN, but also including Salon Magazine (sorry you didn't get your "white guy"), Good Morning America, and many others. As our President stood before us last Friday and instructed us not to jump to conclusions, he clearly disregarded the fact that a member of his own campaign staff, David Axelrod, had insinuated that perhaps the attack in Boston was because it was "Tax Day." Certainly this idea was not lost on much of the media, including Chris Matthews and a number of others on MSNBC and CNN. Former Congressman Barney Frank attempted to make the terrorist attacks fodder for a debate about fiscal responsibility versus higher taxation and more spending. MSNBC's Melissa Harris completely disregarded the religion of the two suspects and attempted to create a false premise that because their skin was white and they were from Chechnya, they actually were more aligned with Tim McVeigh than bin Laden. And Tom Brokaw audaciously attempted to create moral equivalency between acts of Jihad such as the bombing in Boston where innocent children and civilians are the specific target, and the actions taken by our military in the throes of a logistical war campaign where collateral damage does sometimes unfortunately include civilians, but extreme efforts are made to minimize such losses.<br />
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The very fact that President Obama will not bring himself to use the phrase "radical Islamic terrorist" or anything of the kind is indicative of the greater problem America shall continue to face moving forward as political correctness continues to permeate our society, because as far as American Presidents go, Barack Obama exemplifies all that is political correctness. The consumate politician, he is so afraid to say the wrong thing to anyone who is not a political foe (conservative/Republican) that he will bend over backwards... or bow before... those who wish to do America harm before he will speak the truth about what we have known for decades. There are those in the world who wish us great harm, and they will stop at nothing in their efforts to achieve what they believe will bring them honor and 72 virgins in the name of Allah.<br />
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The idea that there are individuals using the name of a religion as their theoretical protection as they perpetrate acts of horrific evil should not be lost on the population of a free and prosperous nation for which those aforementioned individuals have hatred and disdain. And as was proven last week, they will not always appear in the stereotypical form of a bearded Arab in a turban, or in the seats of airplanes as part of a grandiose and well coordinated plot, or in other ways we might suspect. They will be citizens; soldiers with a gun at an Army base in Texas yelling, "Allahu Akbar" as they kill 13 soldiers and bystanders, or they will be twenty-somethings with a car in Times Square who slip under the radar... or they'll be a couple of otherwise relatively normal looking young immigrants from a part of the world you'd normally think had allegiance to the freedoms of America.<br />
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And unless or until our elected officials stop with the political correctness crap and call a spade a spade, or in this case call a radical Islamic terrorist exactly what he is... it's only going to get worse.<br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-75558677290858916222013-04-04T23:19:00.001-07:002013-04-04T23:19:33.177-07:00What's Goin' On...I’ve been away a while, I know… lots to say and no words to say it with, I suppose… <br />
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The weather has been just unbelievable lately… it’s exactly what I moved here for, and I’m so glad I’m finally really learning to make the best of it. The fact that I can leave the windows open all day and let the kitties enjoy the sounds of the birds, then come home and open the patio so they have that extra space and the additional entertainment of dogs being walked and whatever else goes on through the evening… it’s funny, I get home from work and they greet me as I walk in, but within about 60 seconds they’re lined up at the screen door waiting for me to open it. I had a couple of adventures to the mountains, although since my last post I’ve not been… I got a little gun-shy (no pun intended) after throwing more and more money into the Jeep… I’ve decided I need a bit of a break from that, so I went full-recluse for about the past month. I’ll be heading out again soon… blooming season for the saguaro is right around the corner, and I’ve got to go see the sights. I picked up a tent and a sleeping bag, and I plan on doing a 1-nighter from time to time just to get away from the air conditioner through the summer. The kitties will enjoy the time away from me… <br />
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Of course I didn’t move here planning to be single and living in a 1-bedroom apartment with four cats… but I have really learned to appreciate the life I live and the joy they bring me. I love the heat of the summer here, but I don’t want to have to close them in. It’s actually kind of depressing, knowing the season is coming where I’ll have to run the air once I get home, and then of course come about mid-June it’s like what winter is in Ohio, in reverse… my ears and nose don’t freeze, and I don’t have to scrape my windshield… but there’s no doubt it is hot, and air conditioning and swimming polls are where it’s at. Kitties don’t like swimming pools, so they get air conditioning. I might be found by the pool from time to time… <br />
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I’ve been busy, kinda, in my personal life, yet not busy at all. I know, it makes no sense… except inside my own head. I live a very busy, yet not really busy life… I do a lot for such a relative homebody, yet I do very little for someone whose mind is so active and who actually struggles sometimes to find the time just to relax. Being so devoutly single these past couple of years, I’ve learned it is kind of nice that I can do whatever I want whenever I want, or I can do nothing at all and nobody can tell me otherwise. It can be, therefore, extremely difficult to get motivated and maintain focus… yet there are times when I am so focused and on my game it makes me wonder how I got there. I’m entering one of those phases now… I’ve been known to suffer from that winter-depression syndrome thing, and even here where we see the sunshine almost every day in the wintertime it still drags me down when the temperatures dip down low and the sun sets early. Summertime is my focus time, for sure.<br />
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Anyway, the good news is that I’m back to exercising again, which is awesomely painful and devastatingly rewarding. As I write tonight my leg muscles are doing that burning, throbbing thing that happens after 15 miles on a mountain-bike… I’ve discovered that if I travel any direction from my humble little fur-infested abode I can find a trail or more that’ll get me some good dirt riding, and the tires on my bike are pretty decent for road riding, so I get a good combination of workouts. I am learning confidence on my bike again… when I moved here in 2001 I flipped my bike coming down a huge hill and spent a couple days in the ICU, had road rash all over my left shoulder, my hands and some of my face, and I ripped my left ear in half and almost lost the better part of it. I’m ever-thankful to the plastic surgeon that made me look halfway decent again, and I’ve learned that a helmet to save the noggin is much more important than the machismo of riding without. But the moral to this story is that I’m back in the saddle again, so to speak, and I’m loving it. I forgot how much I love riding.<br />
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I’ve been enjoying hockey season, although I wish my ‘Yotes were playing better. They’re playing with guts and determination even after three of their big name players were traded at the deadline, though, and they’re still in range of the playoffs. And anything can happen in the playoffs, as The L.A. Kings proved last year by being a number eight seed and rolling through everyone on their way to a Stanley Cup. And I am so incredibly happy baseball season is back… my Diamondbacks traded Justin Upton even though he will be a perennial MVP candidate, because his presence in the clubhouse was a distraction and he didn’t buy into “Gibby-Ball.” The changes are evident already, even if we’re only three games into the season. If you’re a baseball fan then you know Kirk Gibson was known for his gritty play and intense determination, and his coaching style is similar. He coaches his players to have the mentality that the team is more important than individual statistics, which didn’t work well with Upton. So Upton went to Atlanta and we got Marin Prado in return, and so far so good. Of course it’s a long season. <br />
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And of course I was thrilled to see Jimmie Johnson win the Daytona 500… the NASCAR season is getting into the grind, and in large part the ‘usual suspects’ are at the top of the points standings. Dale Jr. fans are thrilled because he is doing well… I don’t care too much one way or another if he does well or not, although I do think living in his father’s shadow has to be overwhelming. It would be good for the sport if he were to win a championship, they say… There was a horrific accident at the Fontana (California) race and Denny Hamlin will be out of his ride for quite a few weeks, but the racing leading up to that moment between he and Joey Logano was incredible, and hopefully a sign of what’s to come through the rest of the year. NASCAR has modified its car and in the process predicted better racing, and so far I’d say they got it right. <br />
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I’ve got all kinds of things to say about politics, but I’m not sure why I should bother. I mean after all, President Obama is our President for four more years, and that’s that, so we need to just accept it and let him rule… er.. lead… as he wishes. These days, though, he seems more concerned with getting Nancy Pelosi elected to the Speakership than with actually getting people to the table and solving our nation’s problems… seems he’s on a never-ending campaign, even though he just today said something about how we don’t need never-ending campaigns. We’ve got a Congressional Democrat trying to push gun legislation through even though she doesn’t understand that a magazine can be reloaded… I mean, if you’re going to rail on and on against something shouldn’t you at least know what the heck it is you’re so against? But not to worry; “60 Minutes” is getting ready to put on a special with some of the Newtown parents to tug at our heartstrings again, even though the fact is not one law being proposed would have stopped that tragedy from taking place. In fact, the ideas being put forward that might have helped are being scorned by President Obama and the media… God forbid a teacher in a school voluntarily gets trained in the use of a handgun and be allowed to provide for the protection of our children when there’s a Constitution to destroy. And can ANYONE please tell me where the heck all the .22 long rifle ammunition is? I know DHS says they’re not buying all our ammo, or maybe they are… all I know is that last year every Wal-Mart, Cabella’s and Sportsmen’s Warehouse in America had full shelves and right now there’s none to be found anywhere, including the specialty stores. Even 9mm and .40 caliber seems to be nearly impossible to find, so much so that Phoenix police officers are not being supplied by the city with practice ammo for their required range sessions. Oh, but Phoenix did just elect a radical left-winger (who ran as a moderate, just like our President did) who wants to allow transgendered people to use whatever bathroom they want, regardless of what body parts they have or have not had added or removed, so there’s that… <br />
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I do have to point out… there’s been this issue about some conservatives pointing out all the jet-setting and hob-knobbing with celebrities being done by the Obama family in the midst of a national fiscal crisis. Separate vacations, multiple spring break destinations for his daughters… I don’t mind the girls enjoying spring break, but Atlantis and then Idaho, with Secret Service protection being paid by We, The People doesn’t really seem like “shared sacrifice” when tens of millions are on welfare and unemployed… Anyway, I did mention some time ago that President Obama should pass an executive order cutting congressional salaries in half, and I thought he could really set a good example by giving up his entire salary, since he is independently wealthy thanks to the revenue generated by his book sales. Well, I have good news… in an effort to show solidarity with those being affected by sequestration President Obama gave up five percent of his annual salary. That’s five percent, as in 5%, as in $20,000 a year. So I guess he can now say he’s got some “skin in the game” and he’s doing his “fair share.” Meh.<br />
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And just to be fair and equal… if you didn’t hear about it, we’ve got some real idiots here in the Republican camp here in Arizona. Like many other states across America, Arizona's State Constitution does have an amendment protecting marriage as between one man and one woman, but we have no laws whatsoever regarding civil unions. So when a little town on the Mexican border called Bisbee decided to legalize civil unions for homosexuals within its city limits, our wonderful Republican legislators at the state level decided to rail on and on about how that city had broken laws and this and that, when actually all they did was create their own little law in their own little city for the sake of whatever reasons they had, and it doesn’t affect the rest of us Arizonans in the least and has no bearing on our state Constitution. But just like guns are the issue that the Democrats must rail against no matter what’s truly right or wrong, it seems anyone that calls themselves a Republican must instantly go into a tizzy if homosexuality is mentioned. And while I respect and tend to agree with those who have deeply held convictions against marriage being legalized for gays, I do believe that people are going to live together and have sex if that’s what they really want to do, and if we are truly a just and fair society they at least ought to be able to visit each other in the hospital and have other basic protections allowed to straight couples. Really, it would be nice if the government got out of the marriage business altogether and left that to churches… that way if a church supports gay couples they can get married in that church, if not then not, but meanwhile government can provide basic protections… kind of like how we really don’t need unions as much as we used to, because government sets standards of protection and all unions do is collect dues so they can funnel that money to the Democrat political machine. But I digress…<br />
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So I’ll try not to be away for such a long time, next time… or perhaps by then we will all be gone, because Kim Jong Un really did mean business when he said he was going to nuke Austin, Texas...<br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-28328123686478616782013-03-06T06:34:00.000-07:002013-03-06T06:38:24.306-07:00It was worth it<br />
I am grateful for the advice my employer gave me. Soon after I bought my Jeep and told him I was starting to go off-road, he told me, “If you’ve never been there, and you’re not sure what is coming beyond what you can see, sometimes it is wise to stop and walk the hill, assessing the situation first before proceeding.” Be Prepared, as my Boy Scout days taught me… at an incredibly intense level where life and valuable property are at stake. So I did… walk the hill… and then I kind of slid back down, because it was so steep there was no walking back down. At the top of this hill was the end of the line… it is a hill that has been carved into a trail simply for the sake of climbing that hill. It is intense. <br />
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Just as the trail took a rather sharp bend to the right sat a huge boulder, with a smaller yet no less intimidating smaller boulder and a saguaro on the left. On the way up, rounding that bend took a cautious approach and careful maneuvering so as to not gouge the passenger side of my Grand Cherokee. I also needed to maintain sharp focus on the obstacles on the left; they could take out a lower front fender or worse… the saguaro and small boulder would no longer be there if I went too far, because they would be taken out by my Jeep as I slid or tumbled down the side of the hill. After the bend was the intense degree of incline, like nothing I’ve ever tried. So I carefully proceeded around the bend, engaged 4-Low, and let the power of the 5.2L V8 take control. I honestly was very impressed by the power of the engine… I’ve pushed it a few times on the freeway just to see what kind of power it had, but no road driving could have ever shown me what kind of torque I have at my disposal, should I ever need it. <br />
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Coming back down was just as intense… the larger boulder at the bend was now directly in front of me, and I had to maneuver to the right of it to make the bend. If I went too far right I had the smaller boulder and saguaro to contend with, plus the possibility of going over the edge I had to keep in mind. So I shifted into “Granny gear” low, plus kept the 4-Low engaged, and proceeded down… very carefully, with my foot just easing off the brake enough to allow my Jeep to move under its own weight and not much more. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzj3mhL8k-0/UTdGWf37muI/AAAAAAAABJc/sjQ_Xe5VVP0/s1600/DSC_2479+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzj3mhL8k-0/UTdGWf37muI/AAAAAAAABJc/sjQ_Xe5VVP0/s320/DSC_2479+(2).jpg" /></a> <br />
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That hill was so awesome… Planting my front wheel up on that rock as a sign of “I did it” felt amazing at the moment, and no picture I took could ever capture the feeling I had as I soaked in the sunshine and reveled in my accomplishment. Unfortunately I didn’t think to stop and set up the camera so I could record the event, but I definitely will go back… after I get my 4x4 linkage fixed. <br />
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I was calm enough to recognize my blessings in the heat of the moment. For the maturity and levelheadedness to gather myself in ways I might not have in the past, I am grateful. For the lessons in planning and preparedness to have a lot of water and a handful of Nutri-Grain bars with me, plus a firearm or three to make me feel safer than I might have otherwise, I thank my parents and The Boy Scouts. <br />
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I got extremely lucky; I had made it almost back out to the freeway, and within ten minutes I was lucky enough to have an Arizona State Highway Patrol officer notice me waving him down. I was still a bit panicked still when he arrived… yet I had enough composure to remember the first thing I needed to do was advise him I was armed. He thanked me for letting him know, and began to ask me a few questions about my situation. I told him what I really needed was help getting hold of AAA, because although I had cell service and had literally (while I was standing there broken down) just bought a membership (which I should have purchased a few weeks ago or more) I couldn’t find a number to contact them for a tow truck. <br />
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The officer not only got his dispatcher to call a tow truck for me, he hooked up a tow strap to my Jeep and pulled me the few hundred feet needed to get me up on the freeway so the tow truck driver could find me. He made sure I had plenty of water, and he was on his way. He validated every bit of “To Protect and Serve,” because in that moment, he provided both protection and service. To him I am grateful, as I am also grateful to the ADOT officer who stopped shortly thereafter to make sure I was okay. I told her I had plenty of water, a few snack bars, and an un-chambered weapon on the dash… from which I had removed the magazine as I saw approach, out of respect for her safety, but I promised her that magazine was going back in place once she pulled away. She nodded in approval and told me she was glad to hear I was so well prepared, and went on her way. <br />
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The tow truck driver was a nice enough guy… I suspect he knew how to fix my problem but that’s not his job, and he made a lot more money putting my Jeep on the back of his truck than he would have had he repaired my Jeep and got me back on the road himself. He smoked five cigarettes during the roughly hour-long drive from around Sunflower to my workplace, where I dropped off my Jeep so I could borrow the work truck for the evening. One of the nice things about working for a small private company is the unwritten benefits; in the case of my workplace, the boss owns a Ford Ranger he originally bought for his granddaughter, but she wanted something “more fuel efficient” so the Ranger became the shop truck and she got a brand new Hyundai Elantra. Bonus for us.<br />
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So I paid the man the $250 for the tow… yeah, I know, I should have purchased the AAA membership before I broke down, but at least now I have it for next time. But at least they covered the cost of getting my Jeep loaded onto the truck, plus the first five miles... and I was on my way home. Before I hit the road I sent a text to my coworker who knows a lot more than I about fixing cars, and he agreed to meet me Saturday morning. <br />
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Within fifteen minutes Saturday morning, I had learned that had I only known what to look for, my issue was something I could have repaired myself. When I pull the handle that takes me from 4-Hi to 4-Low, it moves an upper arm that is connected to a lower arm by a linkage… sometime along the way Friday while I was out having a great time, the bolt that connects the top arm had popped out, because the connection for the bottom arm had become loose and the entire assembly had become weak. The bolt popped when the linkage was in ‘Neutral’ and I had no gear engaged at all. My immediate fix would have been to crawl under my Jeep, determine which way the lower arm needed to be set so I was in 4-Hi, and set it in gear. Once in gear the linkage won’t disengage; I actually can leave it exactly as it is and drive it forever, but if I ever want to use 4-Low I will have to stop, crawl under my Jeep and move the lover arm, and then once I’m done I’d have to re-set it. of course this is not optimal, because there may come a time when I’m halfway up a hill, or stuck in some situation like mud or something, where I won’t want (or be able) to go through that process… so I need to fix the linkage, but it’ll be a relatively inexpensive fix and I’ll be good for another 100K miles or more. It’s one of the risks a person takes when he purchases a used vehicle with 100K miles on it… I’ve had a few repairs to make since I bought my Jeep a year ago, but now that I’ve dealt with the major stuff I should be pretty much in the clear. Over the next year I need to do brakes, and about a year from now I’ll do new tires… hopefully at the same time I’m adding a couple inches of lift, so I can get even more adventurous… <br />
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Once I had learned what the problem was and I had learned my options for permanent repair, I spent the morning getting myself more “trail ready” than I already was. I assembled my new jack, which I had purchased Friday before hitting the trails… I had stopped at Pep Boys and Harbor Freight and picked up a few important things. Road flares, a first-aid kit, a magnesium & flint fire-starting kit, a flashlight with a glass-breaking tip, a variety pack of hose clamps and some duct tape, and a hanging flashlight for under the hood or more… plus the jack and a jump-start box… I also sorted out my tools into a “home” toolbox and “road” toolbox… I am now much more ready for whatever may come my way. <br />
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So I have parts on order at the Chrysler dealership, and I hope to fix the linkage over the next few days. If I can’t fix it I’ll take my parts and Jeep to a shop… but if that turns out to be the case I won’t let it slow me down. Unless it rains, I know a few places I can go and I won’t need 4-Low, so I’ll be out there again this weekend or next... I might even carry a cooler and a few blankets, and spend a night under the stars… <br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-73925709250433293832013-03-05T08:23:00.000-07:002013-03-05T08:23:28.721-07:00Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/voVHb3XinhI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-82043981040448457762013-03-01T10:01:00.000-07:002013-03-01T10:09:21.397-07:00Remembering Andrew Breitbart, and Preparing for Armageddon A Rasmussen Reports <a HREF="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2012/51_expect_most_reporters_to_help_obama_9_predict_most_will_help_romney" TARGET="_blank">poll taken during the 2012 Presidential election </a> found that 59% of likely voters believed incumbent President Obama received more favorable coverage, while only 18% believed the media reporting favored his challenger Mitt Romney. <a HREF="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/february_2013/only_6_rate_news_media_as_very_trustworthy" TARGET="_blank">A more recent poll</a> by that same organization found that <b>only</b> 56% of the news reported by today’s media is trustworthy. If that were a grade, it would be failing. That same poll found that 42% of likely voters do not trust the news media generally, and 12% believe the news reported by the mainstream news media is not trustworthy, at all.<br />
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There was a time in America’s recent past when Bob Woodward was considered a hero in the business of journalism and by those who believe in speaking “Truth to Power.” By resisting the temptation to believe that our elected officials were pure of intent, exploring and exposing that which others considered unimportant, and standing tall in the face of the powerful and the elite, the investigative reporting of Woodward and his coworker Carl Bernstein exposed illegal activity within the Republican Party and Nixon Administration, and ultimately his work led to the downfall of one of America’s most storied and prominent politicians of his time. Richard Nixon had been a political powerhouse for decades, but the arrogance of him and those around him became a weakness that led to one of the most embarrassing moments in American political history. <br />
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Again today, Woodward is not allowing the powerful and elite to dictate to him the story he brings to the public, and for that he is being labeled a pariah by many of the same people who learned much of their trade by studying his story. For exposing a bit of arrogance within the Obama administration, Woodward has been called a “liar” and “irrelevant,” and it has even been said about him that, “There are people waiting for Woodward to die so they can dish stuff on him that they’re too afraid to say now.” <br />
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One year ago today another media “pariah” left this earth prematurely. Andrew Breitbart was not willing to allow the powerful and elite keep him from exposing the hypocrisy in politics and bias in the media. The “Happy Warrior” of conservatism, Breitbart was one of the few voices willing to speak up and discuss with honesty and clarity all he saw wrong with the Obama campaign of 2008 and subsequent Presidency, and the landslide “Tea Party” victory of the 2010 midterm elections was most certainly influenced by his hard work and dedication to principle. <br />
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While sometimes biased toward the Republican side of things to a fault, Breitbart definitely always erred on the side of what I would call “Original Intent.” Breitbart was always one of the staunchest allies of life from inception, and I have no doubt he would have scoffed at this ginned up “reproductive rights” campaign being perpetrated by the leftists and perpetuated by the media. I believe were he here today, Andrew Breitbart would be on the front lines and working hard to expose the fact that “reproductive rights” as defined by the Democrat Party is ultimately nothing more than an advocacy for abortion, and ultimately increases immorality in society by endorsing permissive sexual behavior with little to no consequence. <br />
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And as a father of four who believed in The Bill of Rights with great passion, Breitbart would have been one of the clearest voices speaking up for Americans’ right to bear arms while protecting the safety and security of our families. <br />
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I told myself I was going to keep it short today… I took the day off so I could enjoy some of the amazing weather we’re experiencing here in The Valley of The Sun. Forecast calls for clear skies and a high of 79° today, and there’s a lot of desert out there for me to go four-wheeling in. I think I’m gonna do some shooting while I’m out… last month I went to the gun show and bought myself a Remington 702 ‘Plinkster’ and a Taurus Millennium PT745, which is a short-barreled .45 caliber handgun with 6-round magazine. I picked them up as Birthday gifts to myself… I passed a background check and everything! While I was there, I picked up a couple of 25-round magazines for my rifle, and I plan to get a couple more the next time the gun show comes to town. Gotta get ‘em while we still can… <br />
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I wanted to add to my collection, which until then consisted only of an Arminius revolver with a 6” barrel. now I can say I truly support diversity… heh, heh… <br />
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And while I’m quite sure I can handle both these new weapons properly, practice makes perfect… plus I need to teach my new firearms not to go off killing people while I’m not around, since we all know guns kill people. That and I need to prepare for Armageddon, since President Obama is running around telling everyone that the world is going to end and it’s all the Republican Party’s fault. <br />
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So as we prepare for sequester, do not fret; although Congresswoman Maxine Waters claims <a HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfB5X2RzuCI" TARGET="_blank">sequester will cause us to lose 170 million jobs</a> (someone needs to tell Maxine there are only about 150 million jobs held in America today), Nancy Pelosi has a plan:<br />
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<b>But remember, it’s all the Republican Party’s fault.</b><br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-71453487838687338742013-02-19T18:56:00.000-07:002013-02-19T18:56:34.549-07:00Another one of my "Open Letters" to President Obama... And a Little Rant<p style="text-align: left; padding-left: 30px; font-style: italic;">Dear President Obama, <br />
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I have an idea to help you with the “sequester cuts” you’re hanging over the Republicans’ heads like a political piñata just waiting to explode all over the place. Mr. President, why don’t you pass an Executive Order that reduces the salaries of all Congressional representatives by fifty percent? That one act alone would provide the government with approximately $47 million (assuming all 535 of them make $175K annually), which should cover a fair portion of the money needed to secure the jobs of the first responders and other political pawns you’ve been trotting out as sacrificial lambs in your efforts to deride the opposition for your own expediency. <br />
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In fact, Mr. President, I believe you should publically ask each Congress-critter if they would be willing to sacrifice their entire salary for the duration of the current congress as a show of good faith. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see Nancy Pelosi squirm when you put her under the spotlight and asked her to do the right thing for the good of the nation? Or would such a display take away her “dignity?”<br />
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I mean, I would understand it if a few of the Freshman members of The House didn’t want to give up their salary; you politicians live large there in Washington D.C., and it would be tough for a newbie to “keep up” with the rest of you and your gaudy lifestyle. And if there’s one thing we do know, it’s that it is very important to come to town and fit in… keep a low profile and act like everyone else. Just ask Texas Senator Ted Cruz what happens if you’re new in town and you don’t keep a low profile…<br />
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And while we’re at it, Mr. President, why don’t you, sir, give up your salary for the next four years? I mean I know you are the man of the people and you can relate to us all so well, with that multi-million dollar income you have from all those book sales and all, and how you lived in a $200K condo while you and Mrs. Obama went to Ivy League schools and all... but Mr. President, leadership means setting an example, true? And wasn’t it you who once (or more than once, I can’t remember) told us we are all going to have to sacrifice a little… have some “skin in the game…” or something…. <br />
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By the way, sir… how was that weekend golfing? Did you hear, Mr. President, that your lovely wife’s separate but equally expensive vacation tied up airspace over the Aspen, Colorado area? and I hear your vacation only cost us just short of one million dollars this time, sir. <br />
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You know the last time I went on a million dollar vacation and golfed with a professional golfer on a private course, Mr. President? Yeah, try never.</p><br />
I’m so sick of the crap coming out of Washington, D.C. these days. It’s not just President Obama, although we did elect him to lead, not to go around the country bashing the political opposition (in between golf outings and trips to Hawaii) in an effort to secure his party’s continued success for decades to come. House Majority Leader John Boehner made a statement today that hits the nail on the head, and it’s what most of us have known and have been saying for a long time; America doesn’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. If we’re going to cut out the loopholes in the tax code – as we should, that extra revenue should go to debt reduction, not to growing more government. We’ve already given liberals their “revenues” at the turn of the year, which didn’t affect most of us as much as it did the most wealthy, but I know my paycheck got about $50 lighter every two weeks, but the national debt continues to rise…<br />
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The era of big government never really ended… it just hid for a while, sort of. But let’s be honest – from the days of Woodrow Wilson creating the Federal Reserve and “progressive” tax code, to FDR expanding government exponentially because America was in the midst of the crisis of the Great Depression (and we know how progressives feel about a good crisis), to LBJ blowing up the budget by promising retirees health care funded by a Ponzi scheme called Medicare, and a more massive “safety net” called Medicaid that has now become a primary source of income for many, to George W. Bush expanding that Medicare promise to retirees with a drug program larger than even the original Medicare itself… and let’s not forget what we have to go through just to get on an airplane these days and all the scandalous stories surrounding DHS… oh, and now we have “free” healthcare on the way for everyone, or so it seems… free healthcare! Woohoo!<br />
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In large part today, we don’t have leadership in Washington; we have politicians. Specifically, we have one politician, and we have a lap-dog media that does his bidding at every turn. After griping this past weekend about the lack of access to the Commander-in-Chief as he golfed with Tiger Woods at a private club in Florida, when The President finally appeared, the first question asked was “Who won?” <br />
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It used to be that in America, holding political office at the national level was an act of service. Clearly, the fundamental transformation of America is working out exactly as planned.<br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-19996999053634027202013-02-13T17:56:00.000-07:002013-02-13T17:56:22.143-07:00Media Agenda Check<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mpb2a3CGFvA/URw17MuEwPI/AAAAAAAABI8/S2ge_0hh3yo/s1600/551495_559380887420433_1090520926_n+(646x460)+(646x460).jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mpb2a3CGFvA/URw17MuEwPI/AAAAAAAABI8/S2ge_0hh3yo/s320/551495_559380887420433_1090520926_n+(646x460)+(646x460).jpg" /></a>Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965825415349936737.post-58583356958614069672013-02-10T19:48:00.000-07:002013-02-10T19:49:30.978-07:00On a Mountain...I’ve not been here for a while, I know. I’m sure you’ve probably been wondering where I have been, and why I haven’t had anything to say lately. After all, it’s not for lack of good material… <br />
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We learned a couple of weeks ago that in the eyes of Hillary Clinton, it didn’t make any difference that the Obama administration sent UN Ambassador Susan Rice out on five Sunday shows with a campaign of misinformation and that an amateur filmmaker was arrested and perpwalked as if he were the reason for the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 21012. In having this reported to us, we learned from the mainstream media that Hillary is apparently some sort of superhero, because rather than report on the failings of her leadership as Secretary of State, they chose to document her illnesses, her visits to 112 nations, and discuss all the trials and tribulations she has been through since her entrance into the American political scene in the early 1990’s. oh, and we learned that she is considered the most powerful and popular woman in the world. How special for her, really.<br />
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This week I learned I have a “boss,” but he’s certainly not the one who offered me my gainful employment a number of years back. I also learned... and this came as quite a shock… that I have a new set of parents. Little did I know that the President and First Lady are “the Mom and Dad of the country,” and that when they speak, we should listen. And I must say… I am very proud of Chris Rock for this new understanding of American politics… after all, it couldn’t be about skin color that he said the things he said about George W. Bush, yet now has this greater respect for The Presidency… could it? <br />
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We learned that it is perfectly okay for some woman to go on CNN and discuss the idea that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is overweight, so much so that he might have a heart attack or a stroke, or even die in office. Yet at the same time, we learned from a writer at The Washington Post that anyone who dare mention the size of Michelle Obama’s certainly must be, well…. Raaaaacist. <br />
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But I digress…<br />
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And we’ve learned that while only three individuals were ever water boarded during the Bush administration, and we know that such activity definitely led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, Bush and waterboarding were evil. Yet is seems there’s no limit to the number of individuals being killed by the Obama administration’s drone program, and he actually is now pushing to be able to kill Americans who are “believed by top level administration officials” to be part of terrorist organizations. And in case we’ve all forgotten… as head of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano would be considered a “top level administration official.” This is same Janet Napolitano and DHS who once had to apologize for labeling veterans returning from combat as vulnerable to recruitment by “right-wing extremists.”<br />
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So I guess the reason I haven’t had much to say about politics lately isn’t because not much is happening. I’d be more inclined to say that my personal life at a number of levels has taken precedence to my interest in politics. I mean, when there are reports out that as many as 7 million currently employed and insured individuals may lose their health insurance, that insurance and medical costs are skyrocketing, knowing that many of my friends and I predicted such things would happen… well, I for one am led to wonder why I even care what is going on in politics and what difference my voice makes anyway? Oh, and has anyone noticed the price of gasoline miraculously decreased in the weeks leading up to the election, yet now we’re right back up to all-time high prices, yet there’s no specific reason for the fall or the rise of these costs? <br />
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I’d be inclined to take the American media seriously, if only they’d send their trucks equipped with broadcast equipment to the South Side of Chicago and report on the tragedy of the deadly violence happening there on a daily basis… but that would open up a Pandora's Box of truths the media and liberals don’t want to deal with. We’d suddenly have to be honest about the breakdown of the family in America, specifically in the inner city and in Black neighborhoods. If we had to address that issue, then we might have to start looking at the institutionalization of government dependency that has been and continues to be rampant in these neighborhoods. Then we might have to address how it is now a viable option for women to have children out of wedlock, because they can receive more benefits by having more children, yet those children are brought into a life of dependence that teaches them no work ethic and no family values. And we might, if we delved deeply enough, learn how in some cases it is actually advantageous for individuals to avoid employment and use government programs as a means for sustenance. <br />
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But instead, the media sent all their trucks to beautiful suburban New Town, Connecticut, and worked up all the tear-jerking sob stories they could find in an effort to break our hearts… and in large part, it worked. There is no story more tragic than the death of so many innocent children, and to have it happen all at one time in such a horrific way is heart-wrenching. But being honest, what we had in New Town was a case of one mentally instable individual who gained illegal access to an otherwise perfectly legal firearm. He then went on an emotionally charged tirade with that and other weapons in hand, and to be sure the result was tragic. Yet the number of individuals killed by gang violence and other types of crime fueled by the desperation of those whose lives are being devastated by dependence on government far outweighs the numbers of those killed in mass murders by shooters with high capacity rifles, and… crickets. <br />
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So we’ve got a Republican coming into the position of Secretary of Defense who, by his own admission, doesn’t even understand American domestic policy, so that’s good… and the wealthiest member of our government is now Secretary of State… oh, those one-percenters… <br />
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In the meantime, and much more important… I got myself out of my apartment and took a hike yesterday, and it did me a world of good. <br />
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I spent about five hours climbing up and down the three peaks that make up the Lookout Mountain Preserve in north-central Phoenix, which is actually just a few minutes’ drive from my home. (The picture to the left is actually Estrella Mountain, to the southwest about 20 miles from where I was hiking). <br />
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I’ve lived here about four years now and I’ve never taken advantage of the fact that I have this wonderful sanctuary so close to home. I’ve hiked other local mountains, mind you… but I can’t count the number of times I’ve said to myself “I need to go climb those mountains,” and yesterday I finally did. It was invigorating, and took my mind and heart directly back to the last time I wrote. <br />
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I needed to take a baby step, and I did. Next I’ll take a little larger step… I’m thinking about maybe heading west to the White Tank Mountains, or down to South Mountain next weekend. I’ve done some hiking in The Superstitions, but there’s always more… plus there’s the Estrella Mountains, the San Tan Mountains, Thompson Peak and the McDowell Mountain range… and that’s all just here in The Valley of The Sun. <br />
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Anyway, as I was hiking yesterday I did as I always do when I get out into nature a little bit… I stopped a few times and just enjoyed the quiet. Even in the middle of the massive city, I found a few spots that were sheltered from the sight of houses and industry, and where I couldn’t hear anything but the wind blowing and the birds chirping. It was awesome. <br />
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And as I walked across the south face of the mountains I crossed paths with a woman… we were in the same vicinity only for a moment, but my encounter with her defined my day. We said hello, agreed that it was a beautiful day… and she said to me, “This is where God is.” I thought that was interesting, because while I know we can find Him in many different aspects of our lives, I have found the one specific place I can always go and have a good conversation with our Heavenly Father is on the top of a mountain. <br />
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And so I climbed. I got to the top… well, almost to the top… I didn’t quite feel comfortable with the last short stretch, but that’s just because I didn’t want to become one of those people we hear about on the local news that broke a leg and needed to be rescued from the side of the mountain. But I climbed to the top of the highest peak in the Lookout Mountain range... Then I made my way down, around the side and then up again, and across the preserve and back towards where I had parked my Jeep. <br />
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It’s interesting… I found out while I was hiking that there is an actual parking lot for the area, but I chose to park in a residential area at a point where there is access to the same area. The spot I parked is to the west of the mountains, so as I made my way back to the Jeep I saw the sun setting in the western sky. I don’t see too many sunsets, at least not from places that have such a wide open view as I had last night. I spent a good hour watching the sun descend behind the southern end of the White Tank Mountains… <br />
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About the same time I was getting ready to leave a young couple came walking up the path I was near, and the guy asked me, “aren’t you cold?” Indeed I was… it’s been rather chilly here – relatively, of course… but as the sun set and I had on just my shorts and a t-shirt, my hands were trembling a bit as I took my last few pictures. But it was well worth it… <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mhp9eDViZCE/URhb3Al-EiI/AAAAAAAABIg/ByKXe7EVQ_A/s1600/west%2Bvalley%2B01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="158" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mhp9eDViZCE/URhb3Al-EiI/AAAAAAAABIg/ByKXe7EVQ_A/s400/west%2Bvalley%2B01.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Solomanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12934220245789538762noreply@blogger.com7